Kitsune and Konoha High
by Liev Ragnarok
Summary: AU Modern. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were best friends as children then Sakura moved away. Years later, Naruto and Sasuke move to Konoha City. They enroll in an all-boys school as freshman. Change is nice, but with change things are bound to happen!
1. Late

_I am saying this right now._

_This is not a yaoi. Naruto and Sasuke love each other, BUT in a friendship way. End of discussion._

Welcome to Kitsune and Konoha High!

Sibling schools that exist on the same campus, yet only associate with each other either once a month or every other month. A large gate in the middle of the campus separates the boys from the girls, and Naruto and Sasuke have enrolled in the all-boys campus of Kitsune High.

**Clarifications/Questions that might be asked:**

**Minato and Kushina are both alive. Naruto's family surname is Namikaze. Kushina, as a wife would, has adopted Minato's last name instead of keeping her Maiden Name. So in this story Naruto's full name would be Naruto Namikaze.**

**Sasuke lives with Itachi who goes to college. Their parents died about the age Sasuke was in the manga/anime. It was an accident. The Uchiha family is very close with the Namikaze family. Sometimes Minato and Kushina act as foster parents to Sasuke and Itachi.**

**Due to this fact, both families move at the same time and to the same place, and tend to live close to each other if possible.**

**Naruto and Sasuke only know Sakura out of the cast of young characters.**

**This story is third person omniscient, so if I mess that up, please correct me as I beta my own stories. Meaning I might miss a mistake even if I read the chapter a few times. (If you do not know, third person omniscient means that the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.)**

**The day and age of technology is around our time. I know the year, but let's see you figure it out. It's not before 2010, yet it's not 2010 either. -Also not our world.-**

With my rambling coming to a close, as I am sure you're already bored/sick of, please enjoy the first chapter! _-This won't happen again, I assure you, unless someone has asked a question that hasn't been answered here and is important enough for all others to know.-_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**Two months prior to Naruto's and Sasuke's first day at Kitsune High.**

"Sasuke, Sasuke!"

"What is it now, Naruto?"

"Look! Kitsune High only goes to school Monday through Friday. Awesome!"

"Oh? That's better than here where we only get Sunday off."

"They also have a sister school named Konoha High…. What, that ain't fair! How come the girls get their school named after the city and not the boys?"

"Maybe because all the boys act like you?"

"HEY!"

"Hey now, don't start a fight." Naruto and Sasuke looked over to notice Naruto's father, Minato, standing in the doorway to Naruto's room. He gave them an exhausted smile while shaking his head.

Naruto blinked at his father's condition. "Why do you look so tired, Dad?" He asked getting off the bed and going up to his father.

"Because, Naruto, I'm doing something that you two should have started." Minato patted his son's head before turning him around and pointing to unpacked boxes. "So why don't you start, mmm?"

"Oh… ha. Yeah, those. I was, err, getting to that, Dad." Naruto gave a sheepish laugh before hanging his head. Sasuke looked between the two then got up and walked over to them.

"I should probably go, Minato. Itachi is most likely wondering the same thing as you."

"Yes, of course, Sasuke. Remind Itachi about tomorrow."

"Right. Later Naruto!" Sasuke waved to Naruto who waved back before leaving the bedroom. Minato patted Naruto's head again.

"We leave at the end of the month."

"EH? But that's so close, Dad!" Naruto turned to his father and placed on a sour face. Minato only rolled his eyes and laughed then left so Naruto could start his packing. Giving a sigh, Naruto went over to a shelf of his manga and began to pack them up. After a few moments he looked up at the calendar blinking slowing.

_Two weeks before we move to Konoha. I hope it's better than this place._ His eyes drifted from the calendar over to his long, open black trench coat that hung on the wall. It was a gift made by his mother to look like his father's trench coat. She made it so he and his father could look alike. A small laugh escaped Naruto's lips at that thought. _Mom always likes matching us up. I feel bad when she tries to do it to Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke gives such a fit while Itachi just goes with it._

Getting up, Naruto walked over to his window and looked out. The sun was just at its setting point; children and adults were heading back to their homes after playing or field work. As Naruto stared out, his expression was blank.

_Konoha better be a better place than here, or so help me I'm going to go back to being how I was in Middle School._

-oO0-o)

**Two months later. September 4th, Tuesday.**

"AH! We're late, we're late, we're laaaaate!" Naruto shouted as he ran with Sasuke down empty hallways.

"One 'we're late' is enough, Naruto!" Sasuke growled as he gripped his side bag. "And if you hadn't woken up late we would have been fine! We missed first period too."

"Hey! Don't put the blame on me! You could have just left without me."

"Yeah, but if I did then you would have complained later about it."

"Nu-uh."

"Yes! You always complain when I go ahead of you without saying anything, or even when I DO say anything." Sasuke mumbled glaring at Naruto from the corner of his eye.

Naruto glared back then focused ahead as he saw the entrance to the classroom. His eyes perked up and when he was about to reach the door he took one too many steps tripping on his trench coat. He gave a small yelp and fell face first into the floor. Sasuke, unprepared for Naruto's clumsiness, tripped over Naruto's legs falling on his face as well. Both boys groaned in pain.

"You idiot…"

"Shut up, Sasuke! You tripped as well."

"Only because your clumsiness seems to rub off on people."

"I'm not clumsy-" The sound of a door opened stopping the boys' argument and forcing them to look up. A man with silver hair, which seemed to defy gravity and a mask over his mouth, stared down at them scratching his head.

"Um…" He began before kneeling down, "you two alright?" Looking toward each other, Sasuke got off of Naruto then Naruto stood up. They turned to the silver haired man and nodded. "Then can I ask another question? Are you two lost?"

"No sir. This is English 1-2, correct?" Sasuke asked adjusting his bag. The man nodded. "Then we are where we are supposed to be." Naruto only nodded in agreement as he adjusted his trench coat.

"Oh. You two must be the new students… You're late." Sighing, the man stood up and gestured for Naruto and Sasuke to follow. Giving a glare at each other they followed after.

The teacher motioned for the boys to stand next to him before he began speaking. "Alright, pay attention now. We have two new students here." He glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. "I'm your English 1-2 and homeroom teacher, Kakashi."

Naruto gave a grin before crossing his arms. "I'm Naruto Namikaze! Recently just moved from Oto Village."

"And I'm Sasuke Uchiha, moved from Oto as well and unfortunately am Naruto's friend." Sasuke gave a sigh looking bored.

"HEY! What do you mean unfortunately?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, you're unfortunate."

"What? That's not what you said!"

"Should I rephrase it so your stupid mind understands?" Sasuke and Naruto turned to each other glaring. The classroom burst into laughter while Kakashi blinked at them before grabbing both of their shoulders.

"Do you two always argue?" They both looked up at him and opened their mouths to answer. "Never mind. Just be silent and sit down… I need to continue class." Kakashi let go of their shoulders, glared at the class whom quieted down, and then picked up his roster. "Mm… Naruto you will be sitting next to… Kiba." Kakashi pointed toward a boy with brown, short, spiky hair that had two red triangles on his cheeks.

At the sound of his name, the boy looked up and gave a questioning look. Naruto looked at Kakashi then the boy. Making sure not to trip on his trench coat, he walked over to Kiba and sat in the empty seat right behind, or what he thought was empty. As soon as he sat down he heard a yelp making him jump up.

"Gah! There's a dog in my chair!" Naruto gave a weird expression as a medium sized white dog growled up at him. Kiba turned toward Naruto and glared.

"Hey! Watch where you sit, idiot! You could have hurt Akamaru!" Naruto turned to Kiba and glared back.

"What is a dog doing in my seat?"

"Where else is he going to sit? He'd get stepped on if he stayed on the floor!"

"Why is he in here in the first place? Aren't animals prohibited?"

"Pssh! I get special permission." Kiba gave a smirk making Naruto become irritated. As the two argued Sasuke looked at the both of them helplessly.

_Can't he ever do anything without getting into a fight?_ He thought shaking his head toward Naruto. Sasuke's eyes flickered to Kakashi to see if he would do anything. He twitched to notice that Kakashi was leaning back staring blankly at the two. _Just going to let them argue it out, huh? That's a bad idea…_ Sasuke's eyes went back to Naruto. He felt himself tense up as Kiba was now standing and their arguing was beginning to become shouting.

"Naruto!" Sasuke moved over to the idiots and grabbed Naruto's arm. "Don't make a scene."

"Shut up, Sasuke! This isn't your business, so stay out of it." Naruto pulled his arm away from Sasuke then turned to Akamaru who was lightly growling at him. "Now out of my seat, mutt." He reached down to pluck the dog away, but instead got his hand bit. He yelped in pain and fell backwards crashing into desks and people. Laughter, groaning, mumbling, and clattering erupted into the classroom.

Sasuke dropped into an empty seat and placed a hand over his face as he watched Naruto get up then tackle Kiba. _I knew it…_ The two boys fell onto the floor and that's when the teacher came over to stop it. Sasuke wasn't impressed by how Kakashi handled the situation. The other boys in the classroom weren't helping with their shouts either.

Eventually, Kakashi got Naruto and Kiba apart with the help of a boy wearing black sunglasses. Both were uninjured, but furious to no end. The boy with glasses made Kiba sit down while Kakashi moved Naruto to a seat in the back. With them separated and the classroom settling down, Kakashi went back to the front.

"If anyone else would like to start a fight, you can stand in the hallway. Sasuke? I guess you can sit where you're at now. Naruto, you're going to sit back there until you and Kiba can get along. Now then, if you're all done open your books to page 80." Desks clattered back to their right positions and the classroom became quiet. Kakashi began to talk about the lesson.

Sasuke turned around and scowled at Naruto who only shrugged and looked out the classroom window. Sighing, Sasuke did the same. As they stared out the window the same thought crossed both of the boys' minds. _This is going to be a long day._

-oO0-o)

12:30p.m. That was the time it was. Naruto and Sasuke were now at lunch having gone through two other classes besides English. There hadn't been a problem like 2nd period, but they hadn't made any real contact with anyone but the teachers.

"Are people just going to ignore us all day?" Naruto grumbled while he ate his ramen. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Naruto, we just got here a couple of hours ago. Of course people aren't going to be familiar with us yet to talk."

"Hmph… "

"Oh stop pouting. It's annoying. You need to understand, too, that these kids have grown up together. Plus, we did miss the first month of school…" Naruto glanced at Sasuke then nodded laying his head down on the table.

"Right… We moved here in August and that's when this school starts. Tch. I can't believe Dad got all the work and books, and forced us to follow along with the school even though we weren't attending yet. I hate studying!"

"You realize we have to turn that work in, right?" Sasuke gave Naruto a frown as Naruto stared at him blankly. His eyes went wide and he sat up.

"Wait, wait. The school is seriously going to make us turn it in?" Sasuke nodded. "Does that mean… if we don't… our grades will go down?"

"That's what it means."

"AAH! I'M SCREWED!" Naruto slammed his face into the table groaning. Sasuke sighed and opened his math book working on today's homework. He was so used to Naruto acting like an idiot that it just didn't faze him. Although, he did notice the curious eyes of the boys near them, one being Kiba who had a smirk on his face. Sasuke hoped Naruto wouldn't notice, but unfortunately he did. "Tch… thinks he's so great…"

"Don't go starting another fight with him."

"I won't. As long as he leaves me alone. I'm not reckless anymore, Sasuke, you should know this." Naruto fully sat up and leaned back in his chair staring at the ceiling. "So what's our next class?"

Sasuke frowned that Naruto was dodging the problem, but didn't say anything. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well, we've had the same class three times in a row, so I assumed the next one would be the same…" Naruto gave Sasuke a look as if he was stupid. Didn't he see that they had the same classes for the last three hours? Sasuke only blinked at Naruto slowly. Clearly the expression on his face clarified Naruto's speculation.

"Wait a minute…let me see your schedule." Naruto dropped his chair and pulled out his schedule from his bag handing it to Sasuke.

Sasuke brought out his own schedule staring at it then he examined Naruto's. Their classes were exactly the same. Sighing greatly, he knew the reason why. His brother and Naruto's father had idiotically on purpose made them have the same classes. Only difference was their 7th periods, which were their choice classes. While Naruto had taken cooking, Sasuke had taken art. Giving Naruto back his schedule he gripped his hands. _I am going to murder Itachi and Minato for forcing Naruto and me to be stuck in the same classes!_

"Soooo…. What's our next class?" Naruto asked giving Sasuke a weird look.

"P.E."

-oO0-o)

"THIS IS YOUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH! DON'T SLACK NOW BOYS!" The P.E. teacher, Gai, shouted at the students as they ran around the track. Sasuke and Naruto were exempted from the class for the today because they didn't have a uniform yet. Although… they weren't looking forward to it.

"Is… is that really our teacher?" Naruto asked twitching greatly. Sasuke was just as freaked.

"I really wish it wasn't." Sasuke hung his head then quickly brought it back up as that teacher came up to them laughing.

"You boys should be out there running with them! It's a lovely day, and you need muscle on those bones of yours!" Gai smiled at them making Naruto shiver.

"You're creepy." Naruto said without thought. Gai blinked at him then gave another bout of laughter.

"Clearly you boys do not understand your springtime of youth is upon you! Tomorrow, you will run 50 laps around the dorm buildings with the additional laps of 5 around this track!"

Sasuke and Naruto stared blankly at him. "I rephrase that. You're creepy and insane."

"Haha! Do not judge until you have tried!" And with those last words Gai jumped off to the other boys. Silence soon followed with Naruto and Sasuke staring after.

"…Sasuke?"

"…Yeah, Naruto?"

"Can we go home now?"

-oO0-o)

Naruto and Sasuke stretched as they walked out of the gates of Kitsune High and down the street. Not many students were following after them, but that was due to this school having dormitories. More than half the students that went to either Kitsune or Konoha High stayed at the dorms that were on campus.

Naruto yawned greatly as he stared at the dorms as he and Sasuke walked by them. _Quite big… there must be a lot of people going here, but where are all the girls? This is supposed to have a sister campus…_ Naruto glanced back to see if he could spot any girls. None.

"Aw, Sasuke. How come there aren't any girls?" Naruto complained as he clearly wanted to see what the girls of Kitsune's sister school were like. Sasuke, on the other hand, could care less.

"Their campus exit is on the other side."

"But… we share campuses… I didn't even see them in the school building!" Naruto grumbled. Sasuke stopped and turned to Naruto.

"Naruto. You know that Konoha is Kitsune's sister school, right?" Naruto gave a nod. "You understand that means Konoha High is an all-girls campus making Kitsune an all-boys campus. That means…"

"That means…um."

"It means we aren't GOING to see them, idiot! There's a gate that separates them from us. Either once a month or every other month the two schools associate with each other. We missed the month to see them because we were moving in at that time. They won't show up this month because of school just starting. Otherwise they don't really communicate with us. Usually they would just have their own school campus away from here, but for some reason this school wanted to do it this way. NOW do you get it?" Sasuke glared at Naruto. He hated explaining things to Naruto sometimes when Naruto was unmistakably smart enough to figure it out himself.

"Oh…okay." Naruto sighed and began to walk with Sasuke following. He didn't like Sasuke getting mad at him. He knew he could be annoying, but Sasuke always brushed it off when it came to him. Something must have upset Sasuke today, although he wasn't quite sure what that could have been.

Then, it hit him.

The fight he had started in 2nd period with that dog boy. _I shouldn't have gotten so angry, but sometimes I can't help it! UGH I even told Sasuke at lunch I wasn't like that anymore… Man I'm such a hypocrite._ Naruto placed his hands in his pockets and looked at the ground as they walked.

Silence ensnared the boys as they traveled down the street, and even when they got home. Sasuke nodded to Naruto before walking into his house. Naruto watched after him then walked into the house right next to Sasuke's. They lived right next to each other unlike how it was in Oto.

As Naruto opened the door to his home he was attacked/hugged by a woman with long red hair. "Naruto! Welcome home!" Naruto almost fell over backwards, but managed to hold himself up. He groaned as he was then kissed upon his head.

"Mom… you nearly gave me a heart attack…" Naruto gave his mother, Kushina, a smile before hugging her gently.

"I'm sorry dear. I was just worried. How was school for you? You didn't get into any fights did you?"

"Err, Mom can we talk about this later? I kind of want into the house…" Kushina blinked then gave a sheepish smile.

"Oh, yes right. Sorry dear." Kushina walked into the house with Naruto following. Naruto shut the door then placed his backpack onto a chair.

"So to answer your questions. School was alright, aside from being late. Teachers are kind of creepy though… Oh and… err," Naruto looked away as he sat down, "maybe one fight…" Naruto gulped out as he finished. He watched as his mother slowly turned around and gave him a stern look. Naruto quickly placed his hands up. "I can explain! It was nothing big, okay? I promise. I'm completely unharmed, so are the kid and his dog."

"His dog? You were involving animals too?" Kushina was now concern. Naruto hung his head.

"Mom, no. It wasn't like that."

"Wasn't like what?" Naruto turned quickly around to see his father come into the house.

"N-nothing, Dad!"

"Nothing? Naruto said he got into a fight with a boy and his dog!" Kushina gave a frown. Minato looked between the two before raising an eyebrow.

"They started it though!" Naruto's eyes widen and he placed a hand over his mouth. He did not want to get into this kind of discussion just as he got home.

"Naruto…" Minato sat down in front of Naruto and gave him a strict look. Naruto stared at his father then sighed and gave in.

"Okay… it went like this…"

**Meanwhile at the Uchiha home.**

"Sasuke. It's no use being angry at Naruto. You know that what happened in Oto still affects him." Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, sighed as Sasuke was still ignoring him. Sasuke continued to do his homework.

When Sasuke got home, Itachi had asked why his mood was so fowl and Sasuke told Itachi about what happened during 2nd period. Then, he had gone to his room and began to work.

Now Itachi was leaning against Sasuke's door waiting for a response. When none was given Itachi gave a sigh and slowly shut the door leaving.

Sasuke stopped working after a few moments looking up at the door. _I know it still affects him. I know that better than anyone…_ Sasuke looked down at his hands before gripping them. One of the things he had hoped for when they had moved from Oto was to get away from the violence that Naruto had endured there. He hadn't been angry with Naruto. No, he had been upset that violence seemed to follow Naruto wherever he went.

Sasuke laid back on his bed taking a deep breath. "Naruto must think I'm angry with him… Well I did kind of get upset earlier, but I didn't have to take my anger out on him. Ugh, whatever. He'll get over it and be begging me to look at my homework tomorrow, so why am I getting worried?"

"Because you care for him?" Sasuke shot up as he slowly turned to his door to see Itachi standing there. "What?"

"Out."

"Oh, now you're angry at me?"

"I will if you don't-" Sasuke didn't get to finish because Itachi came over to his bed and sat down.

"Sasuke. I know you're worried about Naruto… but all you can do is watch out for him. He's a tough kid and can take care of himself, but you can't baby-sit him 24/7." Itachi gave Sasuke a comforting smile. Sasuke blinked slowly then gave him a light nod.

"I know… I just don't want… you know… to repeat."

"I understand, but it won't. Plus, you can always go to Obito for school issues."

"…Cousin Obito? He works in the police force, not the school force, Itachi."

"Ha! Much you know. You missed 1st period after all." Itachi grinned at Sasuke's blank expression and gaping mouth. Shaking himself out of it, Sasuke quickly rummaged through his things and took out his schedule then slammed his head into his bed.

"Why… No, not why, HOW did Cousin Obito get a license for teaching? Much less one for SCIENCE?" Sasuke groaned. He had never taken notice of who the teachers were on his schedule. Itachi laughed again and patted his back.

"Obito works part time at the police force even though he's a full-fledged officer. The school job is something the mayor asked him to do because apparently Kitsune High didn't have enough science teachers." Sasuke slowly sat up and looked at his older brother.

"Really…"

"Yes, really."

"Ugh." Sasuke laid back and covered his face with a pillow. "Tomorrow just got worse."

"Sasuke, Sasuke…" Itachi rubbed Sasuke's head before getting up. "I'll be making dinner soon, so don't forget your shower."

"I can take care of myself, THANK YOU!" Sasuke growled as the door closed with laughter coming from behind it. "I'm surrounded by idiots." Sitting back up, he started to work on his homework again.

Later that night, Sasuke called Naruto to ask if he was alright. Naruto mumbled on about how his parents said he overreacted with the dog boy, but was otherwise fine.

"I know you weren't mad at me, Sasuke. Took me a little bit to figure out where your anger lied. I mean, if you were mad at me, you would have hit me." Naruto laughed making Sasuke laugh as well.

"Yeah, you're right about that. I definitely would have hit you. But anyway. Naruto, don't worry about what happened at school. It's not going to be how it was back in Oto. Things will get better."

"Yeah… You're right… I want to call this place home…"

"We will, Naruto. This will be our home."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_Beep, beep, beep._

"Mmm…"

_Beep, beep, beep._

"Oh, would you please turn that off and get up?"

"Mmm… nooo…"

_Beep, beep, be-, CRASH._

"There! Now get up."

"Mmm…" A girl with long pink hair yawned before stretching awake. She sat up in bed and stared at a broken alarm clock on her bedside table. Then, her eyes widen and she grabbed the clock shaking it. "INO! You broke my clock again!"

"Only because that is the most annoying alarm and you never shut it off!" Long blond hair flashed in front of the pink-haired girl's face making her frown with anger. "Jeez, don't be so upset. I'll get you a new, better one okay? Now get up! We've got school after all, Sakura." Ino went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Sakura sighed and placed her broken clock down then grabbed a picture frame with a photo of three young children in it. Two of them being boys and the other one a girl. A sad smile slowly came to her face as she stared at it.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto…"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Aaaand end! Chapter 1 finished. What did you think? Suggestions and critiques are welcome!

Chapter 2 will bring in more of the Naruto cast, so stay tune.~


	2. Isolation

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 5th, Wednesday.**

Sasuke and Naruto stood at the doorway to a classroom labeled "Foundations of Science I and II, and Biology". They had gotten up early and arrived to school before the beginning bell had run, and now they were dreading it.

"This… is HIS class isn't it?" Naruto asked folding his arms over his chest with a frown. Sasuke nodded and then hung his head.

"I don't want to." A sigh of annoyance came forth.

"AH, he's not that bad, Sasuke!" Naruto tried to lighten the mood, but he was having the same feelings as Sasuke. "He's… the idiot of the Uchihas, isn't he?"

"That's a good way to put it. I'm still really curious how he got a license for science. I could MAYBE see him being able to teach Foundations… but Biology?"

"That idiot doesn't know the first thing about Biology." Naruto shook his head then opened the door. "But… we gotta face him sooner or later."

"Ugh, could we make it never?" Sasuke mumbled as he followed Naruto into the room. Sasuke's eyes darted back and forth, but the teacher was not in the room at all. He gave a sigh of relief and sat at the way back. "Hopefully these seats aren't taken."

Naruto sat down in the seat next to him and stared at the front. "If they are, we'll just move."

"Yes, we will. Without a fight." Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto. Naruto quickly turned to Sasuke giving him a glare. They stared at each for a few more moments before turning away.

Minute ticked by with a few students in the classroom chatting, but otherwise minding their own business. Sasuke, feeling bored, brought out the homework they were given for last month. Nudging Naruto he handed him the work.

"Err, what's this for Sasuke?" Naruto asked examining it.

"What does it look like?" Sasuke asked; Naruto only blinked at him. "Don't copy it, use it for reference for the homework I know you didn't do."

"OH! I forgot about that. Thanks, Sasuke!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly then placed the papers into his bag carefully. Sasuke sighed rolling his eyes before bringing out the Foundations of Science I and II book. They were currently on chapter 3, so he decided to read up.

Soon the bell rang for class to start and students filed into the room. Naruto sat up straight and stared at the front of the classroom while Sasuke stared out the window hoping the teacher wouldn't recognize him. Eventually, the last bell rang and still no teacher. Naruto and Sasuke both sighed greatly at the same time.

"I knew it." Sasuke mumbled. "He still has the same habits."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and we're likely to not see him for another 10 minutes."

"Oh? So you know Obito-sensei?" Naruto and Sasuke looked up in surprise to see an all too familiar idiot from English. He recognized them too. "Heh, the troublemaking blond."

"Tch, the dog-boy." Naruto smiled making Kiba growl. Sasuke hung his head. "Yeah we know Obito, unfortunately."

"So familiar."

"Hard NOT to be familiar when he's… my cousin." Sasuke grumbled. Kiba turned to Sasuke and slowly blinked at him. "What?" Sasuke asked with a blank expression.

"Your last name is Uchiha, huh?"

"No, it's your imagination." Sasuke remarked sarcastically making Kiba irritated. Naruto was trying to hold back a laugh.

"Does that mean you're part of the Uchiha Police Force of Konoha?"

"Do I LOOK old enough to be part of the UPFK?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the dog-boy who scowled and turned around ignoring them now.

"Nice one, Sasuke." Naruto whispered. Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto then stared at the clock waiting.

Finally, the bobbing of a raven haired man with orange goggles on his forehead stepped into the classroom. Immediately, Naruto and Sasuke sunk in their seats.

"Good morning, class! I'm sorry for being late. I had a meeting with an-"

"Liar." Sasuke and Naruto interrupted at the same time. Obito blinked then frowned.

"Who said that?" The boys sunk even lower placing a hand over their faces. Unfortunately for them, their hair gave them away pretty quickly. "Ah! Sasuke, Naruto! So you've finally decided to come into my class." There was a cheerful look on Obito's face. Everyone turned in their seats to look back at Sasuke and Naruto.

"Why couldn't we get through this day without being noticed?" Naruto murmured. Sasuke only shook his head in response. Obito crossed his arms then walked down the aisle of chairs stopping at Naruto and Sasuke's desks. They continued to pretend he didn't exist until he slapped down on the desk making them sit upright.

"Sasuke…Naruto. Is this anyway to treat family?" Obito asked with a frown. Sasuke slowly turned to Obito giving him a blank look.

"If it's family like you. Definitely." Students snickered at Sasuke's comment. Obito looked toward them then back to Sasuke. He opened his arms up wide.

"Give me a hug-"

"Oh, HELL no!" Sasuke grabbed Obito's face just as he was about to hug him. Naruto burst out into laughter, and Obito pouted. "Stop acting like a child and teach your class, Sensei. You're embarrassing not only me, but yourself too."

"Heh… of course. Right Sasuke." Obito cleared his throat, stood up straight and preceded to the front of the class. Sasuke slammed his face into his desk, annoyed.

"Sasuke. Don't kill yourself yet. Obito might follow." Naruto chuckled. Sasuke gave him a death glare before sitting up straight. Naruto grinned and looked to the front to watch how Obito would teach the class.

The class finally ended, although the bell interrupted Obito's lesson. Sasuke and Naruto weren't surprised and got up quickly to leave. They didn't get far though.

"Naruto, Sasuke. Wait." Obito called after them. The boys stopped in their tracks and turned to the teacher.

"What is it?" Naruto asked for them.

"About today. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such an embarrassment. I just haven't seen you two since you were little."

"I had hoped to keep it that way." Sasuke sighed turning away.

"Err. Still the same, aren't you Sasuke?" Obito grabbed Sasuke's shoulder turning him around. "How's… Itachi doing? And Minato and Kushina, Naruto?"

Sasuke answered first. "He's just started college. Freshman year aiming to join the UPFK."

"Heh, he'll do better than me."

"And my parents are doing fine. Dad's company is going well, and I think he's heading to Suna soon." Naruto answered with a smile. He didn't mind Obito too much, except when he was being a bother.

"Oh...? Oh that's right. We have an exchange student from Suna here. He's supposed to stay for two months then head back… but I don't think he really likes it here." Obito looked worried, Naruto immediately jumped in to support.

"Well how come?" Naruto asked, very curious of this exchange student. Obito smiled at Naruto then pointed out the door.

"You two better hurry. Kakashi won't like it if you're late." He avoided the question.

"Err, right, class." Naruto laughed rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and dragged him out.

-oO0-o)

Homeroom, Math, and History all went by like a breeze and once again it was finally lunch time. Naruto and Sasuke, like the day before, were sitting alone. Except this time Naruto was looking for a certain student.

"…AHA! I found him Sasuke!" Naruto pointed to a far corner where one lone student sat. His hair was a strange red -not the natural color which is orange looking-, with a tint of sandy color, and unlike Konoha's colors of blue and pale green, his uniform was of red and black. "He's definitely from Suna with those colors. He's in our math class now that I think about it… I'm going over there!" And before Sasuke could stop him Naruto was up and racing over to the exchange student. Sighing, Sasuke followed slowly after, but came to a stop when he noticed the lunchroom became quiet and all eyes focused on Naruto.

"Is he crazy? That kid will kill him."

"I heard that boy killed his mother!"

"Even his own city hates him…"

"If the blond starts to get attacked, I'm out of here!" Sasuke didn't like the comments that were flying around. It made him become worried for Naruto, but unfortunately a line of students were in his way from getting to Naruto.

On the other hand, Naruto was completely deaf to the comments and came to a stop next to the red-haired boy.

"Hey there!" He waved cheerfully. The boy ignored him. Naruto frowned and sat down next to him and tried again, this time waving in his face. "I'm Naruto Namikaze, what about you?" Again the boy ignored him. Naruto stared at him then moved to a seat where he could be facing the boy. "At least answer me so I know you aren't deaf or mute."

Finally, the boy raised his head and looked to Naruto. "Gaara." At first Naruto didn't know what he was talking about then it hit him.

"Ah! You do speak." Naruto grinned and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Gaara." Gaara only stared at the hand with an unsure look on his face. Naruto was starting to get more confused about him. "Are… you alright?"

Gaara took a look at Naruto's face then looked around the lunchroom. Naruto also looked around and finally noticed how quiet it was, and the giant crowd of people surrounding the table he and Gaara were at.

"What…are you people staring at, huh? This isn't any of your business, now is it?" Naruto asked giving everyone glares. Some of the students shuffled their feet, but they didn't move.

"You… uh, should be careful you know of…" A student gestured to Gaara. Naruto looked at Gaara then gave a questioning look back at the student. "Well… err… because he might… um…" The student didn't get to finish the explanation as the bell rang.

Gaara immediately got up and left, students watched after him then left the lunchroom leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. Sasuke came over to the gaping Naruto who was staring after the direction the red-haired went.

"Naruto… come on. Let's go." Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet and handed him his book bag.

"Sasuke…Why does everyone have that look? It's… just like Oto." Naruto asked as they began to walk outside and toward the gym. Sasuke looked down and knew what Naruto was talking about. It was the look of hatred.

"I… don't know Naruto. I heard a few things when you were trying to talk to the exchange student." Sasuke looked back up and told what he had heard. Naruto listened carefully then looked ahead.

"…Rumors. I don't believe in it. I saw that he was confused about why I was talking to him making me confused. Now I understand why." They stopped at the gym door and Naruto took a deep breath. "WELL THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP ME!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with surprise and stared. "Uh, what?" Naruto looked to Sasuke and grinned.

"I'm going to befriend Gaara if it's the last thing I do on this earth!" Naruto ran into the gym leaving Sasuke behind. Sasuke watched the doors swing back and forth before coming to a closing stop. A smile came to Sasuke's face before he headed in.

-oO0-o)

The next few days Naruto continuously tried to befriend Gaara who only said a few words. Everyone would stare at Naruto strangely and wonder if he had gone crazy. Sasuke stayed on the side-lines and knew better to stay out of the way. But by the end of the week there was no success with Gaara.

"AH MAN! It's not working, Sasuke…" Naruto groaned as he and Sasuke began walking home. Sasuke patted Naruto's back.

"You're not going back on your word, are you?"

"No way! I never go back on my word!" Naruto stood up straight and smiled. "I'm going to keep trying and trying and-"

"You should stop before you get killed." A voice interrupted Naruto making him stop in his tracks. He slowly turned around with Sasuke. Behind them was a boy with long black hair and strange white eyes. Naruto at first thought he was blind, but then he noticed a girl with dark-purple, long hair standing behind the boy. Her eyes were also a strange white color.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked crossing his arms.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga. I am the Student Council President of the Kitsune High." Neji's voice was hollow and arrogant sounding, and that annoyed Naruto.

"Well it's nice to meet you, but I need to get home, so later." Naruto turned around and began to walk away not really wanting to converse with him.

"Wait a minute you rude brat." That made Naruto stop. Sasuke sighed knowing that another fight could be close.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked with a cold voice. He remained facing away from the Hyuuga.

"I'm warning you to stay away from the exchange student. He's dangerous."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because of what happened in his city. He hurt people."

"Where are the facts?" Naruto slowly turned and faced the Hyuuga a furious expression on his face. The girl behind Neji gripped onto his shirt with a small look of fear. Naruto relaxed his face noticing her fear; it made her relax which also calmed him down.

"The facts are there." Neji replied. Naruto rolled his eyes then turned away and began to walk away.

"Whatever. You'll have to show me proof instead of just saying it, but let me tell you this Neji Hyuuga." Naruto turned his head back to look at the Hyuuga boy. "I will become friends with Gaara because of how all of you dismiss him as trash, and I won't give up until I've convinced him I'm not there to hurt him." With that he turned and waved his hand in a goodbye.

A smirk was on Sasuke's face and he looked to Neji. "Hey, you need to understand one thing about Naruto. Don't underestimate him or think he's not capable because out of everyone here, he's the most capable to break this isolation that you have created." Sasuke bowed to the two then ran after Naruto.

-oO0-o)

"That is Naruto for you! The most surprising, rudest, and never giving up person around!" Itachi laughed. Naruto reached across the dinner table trying to attack Itachi, but Minato put a stop to it.

It was dinnertime at the Namikaze's. Sasuke and Itachi had been invited over and discussion of the week of school had been told.

"Yeah, well I can be smart too!" Naruto grumbled and bit into a mouthful of ramen.

"You? Smart? I don't see it happening." Sasuke grinned. "I mean, you can't even do your homework without asking how to do a problem every five minutes."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Now Naruto was trying to grab for Sasuke. Sasuke dodged and Naruto fell to the floor. Angered, Naruto kicked the chair from under Sasuke making him fall to the floor as well. Sasuke blinked then tackled Naruto and a wrestling match began. Itachi watched with a grin on his face while Minato pretended not to see.

"What. Are. You. Two. Doing?" It was Kushina. She stomped her foot next to Sasuke and Naruto making them stop. They both blinked up at her slowly then smiled sheepishly. She gave a sigh then turned to Minato and Itachi glaring. They looked away acting as if they had no idea what was going on. "Oooooh. You two…" Kushina's face turned into a pout before she helped her boys up.

"Sorry about that, Mom."

"Yeah, Kushina."

"Just sit down and eat your food without a fight, please?" She still had a pout on her face and the boys smiled sitting down. "Naruto, what is this I'm hearing about an exchange student?"

"Oh, oh! I'm trying to befriend him because everyone keeps spreading bad rumors, so he's all alone at Kitsune High." Naruto explained.

"That's horrible! But I'm so proud of you Naruto." Kushina hugged her son's head.

Naruto groaned. "Moooom…."

"Where did this boy exchange from anyway, Naruto?" Minato asked paying attention now.

"Suna."

"Suna, huh? And you say his name is Gaara?"

"Yeah, that's right. What about it, Dad?"

"He's the mayor's son if I remember correctly, and also the boy I'm taking back to Suna."

Naruto was getting excited. If his dad was the one taking Gaara back home, maybe he could learn a few things. "Do you know anything about him then? The rumors being false, right?"

"What are the rumors, Naruto?"

"I'll explained, Minato." Sasuke motioned his hand. Everyone looked at him giving him full attention. "Apparently the most common rumor is that he killed his mother and is dangerous. Others rumors are pretty ridiculous like if he even looks at you you'll have bad luck, or something like that. It seems that people think Gaara as… not to be cruel, but as an abomination."

Minato leaned back in his chair with a hand to his chin. He was deep in thought thinking of what Sasuke had just told him.

"From what I can remember when I brought him here, Gaara-kun was a very shy boy. He barely communicated, but I think that's because of the rumors spread within Suna, which seem to mirror these rumors." Minato let his chair fall back down gently. "Naruto, Sasuke. Gaara-kun did not kill his mother. It was an accident. That's all I know. I'm not sure why people blame him, or how she died. From what I saw the only people that associated with Gaara-kun are his two older siblings and his father."

"That's… wrong." Naruto said with a very sad expression on his face. "And everyone believes those rumors even though they know nothing about it…"

"That's right Naruto… but you didn't." Sasuke gave a small smile. Naruto looked to Sasuke and smiled back. "And you'll prove to everyone that he's a good person."

"Yeah! Next week I'm definitely going to get Gaara to understand that I'm a friend he can trust in!"

"Right! I'll be right by your side when you do." Sasuke and Naruto clamped hands together with determination on their faces. Itachi, Minato, and Kushina looked at them with smiles.

"Invite him over once you do, dear!" Kushina clapped with enthusiasm.

"Absolutely!"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-


	3. A Friend in Me

_Do not even dare to comment on the title of this chapter! XD; I DO know it refers to a certain song. SHUSHERZ._

_By the way. If it seems like I either focus more on Naruto (or Sasuke) more it's just because it's more about them now, and I'll get to the other person within another chapter later on._

_You know how hard it is to find a good surname meaning desert? _ So I'm just going to use Sabaku as a surname for the Sand Siblings. (Yeah, I know. It's not a real surname, but they don't have one. Kishimoto must have never considered people would be desperate to know such things.)_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 10th, Monday.**

"A new day, a new week, and a new chance to befriend Gaara!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically from his room. He was pumped and ready to try again. The warnings from Neji Hyuuga didn't bother him. The encouragement from Sasuke and his family helped him. He was positive he would befriend Gaara.

"Naruto! Breakfast!" Naruto's mother called from the kitchen. Grabbing his trench coat, Naruto raced out of the room and slid into the kitchen. Although, he didn't realize the floor was slippery and skidded across and right into the wall falling over. "AH! NARUTO!" Kushina raced over to her son and helped him to his feet. She was worried, but then one look at his face and she was rolling her eyes with a smile.

Naruto was grinning like an idiot and not even phased by hitting the wall. He sat down at the table and began to eat his breakfast not even caring that it wasn't ramen.

A laugh came from the archway door leading to the living room. Naruto looked up to see his father. "Looks like you're excited. Going to try again with Gaara?"

"YOU BET!" Naruto gave his father a thumbs up before finishing his food, grabbing his book bag, and racing out the door. He nearly ran into Sasuke who was about to knock on the door. "Sorry, Sasuke!"

Sasuke sweat dropped and scratched his head. "It's fine, Naruto." Waving to Naruto's parents he closed the door and followed after Naruto. "You seem quite enthused today. Did something good happen?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah! I'm definitely befriending Gaara this week. It's going to happen, no way am I going to give up with just those refusals." Naruto started to jog, in a hurry to get to school. Sasuke gave a laugh and jogged after him.

-oO0-o)

Naruto stared intensely at the wall clock above the eraser board. Obito was starting to get scared. Naruto looked like he was preparing himself for a race. He was sure that Naruto was going to charge out of the classroom the moment the bell rang.

It was silent, a study session for the upcoming test on Friday. Naruto had finished his homework surprising both Sasuke and Obito. Sasuke was even more surprised because Naruto's homework was actually CORRECT.

Sasuke peeked form his book and held back a laugh. To some Naruto's intenseness would scare, but to Sasuke it made him smile. Even though Gaara wasn't in their homeroom class, Naruto was definitely eager to get to their 3rd hour. The bell finally rang, and _whoosh!_ Naruto was gone. Sasuke laughed aloud getting up slowly grabbing his things. He liked seeing Naruto like this: happy, enthusiastic, and full of energy. It suited him better than how he was in middle school.

As Sasuke tried to leave, his cousin stopped him. "Um… Sasuke, what's up with Naruto?"

"Heh, he's on a mission. Don't get in the way or he'll run you over." Sasuke grinned making his cousin blink in confusion. "I'm sure you've heard that he's trying to befriend Gaara."

"Yeah, I didn't think it to be true. Is he really determined?"

"Definitely. Well later Cousin Obito." Sasuke waved his hand and began walking off.

"You should call me sensei when we're in school!" Obito hollered after him. Sasuke rolled his eyes ignoring him. He came into homeroom class and saw Naruto already working on his work for that day. Sasuke sat down and gave Naruto his concentration.

-oO0-o)

Homeroom ended and 3rd began. This time Naruto walked to the next class with Sasuke. He was calming himself down and being patient since Gaara was going to be there. Sasuke went through the door with Naruto behind. Naruto's eyes dashed back and forth and he immediately spotted the redhead. He wanted to talk to him, but class was about to begin. He sat down, began his work, and was determined to keep his patience up until there was free time as Asuma liked to give.

As soon as the moment of free time began, Naruto moved over to sit in front of Gaara and begin his usual greeting. "How are you today, Gaara?"

To which Gaara replied: "I am well."

"Glad to hear that!" And that was about as far as they got. Gaara after that would focus on his studies while Naruto would wait patiently for Gaara even if he never did respond. There was a tension in the air from students, and the usual "comments" floated around most of them wondering if Naruto was going to get killed. Naruto ignored it though because he knew the truth about Gaara, and he understood the _look_ they gave him. He knew it all too well…

Eventually. free time was over and Naruto had to return to his seat, another rejection of Gaara not wanting to communicate. Sasuke patted his back and gave him a smile, which Naruto gladly returned.

"I'll get him talking more at lunch, for sure." Naruto whispered to Sasuke.

"Right." Sasuke agreed before facing the front with the lesson starting to begin.

**An hour and a half later. Lunchroom.**

Naruto sat down at Gaara's lonesome table and placed his lunch tray beside himself. Sasuke sat next to Naruto and pulled out homework. This had been what Sasuke and Naruto did for the last two days of school last week, so the students were used to it and ignored what was going on. Few eyes stared at their direction either dreading or hoping for a fight to occur, and one of those eyes were Neji Hyuuga's. Naruto knew and was ready to prove the arrogant boy wrong.

"Gaara, how has school been for you? I've only been here for three days, so I'm not quite used to it yet." Naruto started off the conversation as usual and waited for a reply. Gaara stared at his food, slowly eating it. Minutes ticked by and as last week it came to almost the end of lunch. Finally, Gaara lifted his head.

"Why… are you persistent?" The red-haired boy asked. Naruto blinked in surprise. He had never asked that before, but Naruto's response was quick.

"Because I want to be your friend."

Gaara stared with a confused expression. "…Friend?" It was almost like the word was alien to him.

The bell rang and Gaara got up slowly. He stared at Naruto before leaving, something else he never did. Naruto waved after Gaara then looked to Sasuke with a smile.

"I made some success!"

"It does seem that way. Hopefully he'll think about that." Sasuke motioned for Naruto and they headed to P.E.

-oO0-o)

Tuesday went by slowly. Naruto learned that Gaara was absent making the anticipation come to a halt. He stared at his homework with no showing of actually doing it. Although, he wasn't disheartened. Sasuke knew Naruto would be alright, and knew there was probably one question on Naruto's mind:

'I wonder where Gaara lives.' As soon as Sasuke thought it, Naruto turned and asked him.

"Why don't you go ask around then, Naruto?" Sasuke suggested. Naruto stared at Sasuke thinking then nodded and stood up. Sasuke frowned at him then sighed with a small smile.

"Does anyone know where Gaara lives?" Naruto asked interrupting Asuma. The students slowly turned to him and gave him weird looks. Naruto crossed his arms and waited.

"Um…Namikaze?" Asuma asked leaning on his desk.

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Sit down. You're interrupting class…"

"Oh… err didn't realize! Sorry." Naruto sat down slowly feeling ashamed while students snickered.

_Naruto, Naruto... _Sasuke thought giving a shake to his head. _You are so predictable._

"Oh, so instead you want to get killed at his home instead of here at school?" Kiba mocked at Naruto. Naruto ignored him and opened up his Math book. "Either way, you're not going to live much longer."

"What is with you people?" Naruto spoke up. "Gaara has done nothing of what you speak about!"

"Oh? And who told you that?"

"My father."

"Then your father is just as crazy as Gaara-" Kiba didn't get to finish. Naruto had gotten up and grabbed Kiba by the collar hoisting him into the air. Kiba's eyes widened and he struggled while Akamaru jumped down biting Naruto's leg. Naruto seemed unaffected by it though.

"What did you say about my father you flea-bitten maggot?" Naruto yelled gripping tighter on Kiba. Sasuke quickly got up and tried to rip Naruto's grip off of Kiba.

Asuma quickly intervened and dragged the two idiots apart. "Alright, Namikaze in the hallway now! Inuzuka, sit down and quit ridiculing people. You follow as well Uchiha." Kiba quickly sat down grabbing Akamaru and holding him close. Naruto ripped himself from Asuma's grip and headed into the hallway. Sasuke sighed and followed after.

Once in the hallway Asuma shut the door and looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "Alright, what's going on? I don't want to send you to detention Namikaze, so explain."

Naruto looked at Asuma before placing his hands in his pocket and leaning back against the wall. "That flea-bitten-"

"Namikaze…"

"Excuse me, that boy, Kiba, was saying how I'm going to get killed by Gaara and such. Then he goes on to say my father's crazy. I don't stand for ANYONE to say anything bad about my father, not even if it's from Sasuke." He turned his face away still upset over the incident. Asuma sighed.

"Namikaze, I can understand, but you can't resort to violence, alright? I'm going to send you to another classroom for today instead of writing you up for detention. If this happens again I'll call your parents. Do you understand?" Asuma waited for a reply and Naruto eventually nodded. "Good go get your things and I'll take you to your class. Uchiha, you wait here."

Naruto gathered his things and was led away. Sasuke waited patiently wondering what Asuma wanted to talk with him about. When the teacher came back he stood up straight to listen.

"Uchiha. Does Namikaze always act like this?" The question caught Sasuke off guard.

"Huh? Err why are you asking that?"

"I've heard he's… been a bit in trouble last week as well with Kakashi's class. Same boy." Sasuke looked away remembering that.

"…Something happened when he was younger, but I don't think it's any of your business." Sasuke told Asuma looking him in the eyes. Asuma lifted up an eyebrow then nodded.

"You're right, unless he acts up again then I'll make it my business. Understood?" Sasuke nodded. "Good, let's head into class there is still a good amount left."

"Yes, Sensei." Sasuke followed the teacher inside and sat down. He gave a big sigh and was glad Naruto wasn't going to get detention, but he was definitely going to be upset for the rest of the day.

-oO0-o)

Naruto, as Sasuke thought, was indeed upset for the rest of the day. During all his classes, even lunch he remained silent and only did his homework. He didn't even talk to Sasuke, but Sasuke understood, thankfully, and let Naruto have his space. By the time school ended Naruto had decided to walk around Konoha to cool his head.

"Is that alright with you, Sasuke?" Naruto ask with a guilty look in his eyes. He knew he had been ignoring Sasuke all day and felt bad about it.

"Yeah, that's fine, Naruto. I understand. Besides, we have yet to see this city. It'll be getting late soon, but how about when we get a free weekend we'll look together?" Sasuke smiled. Naruto smiled back slowly and the two clapped hands together.

"Thanks Sasuke." Naruto waved to Sasuke and ran off up the street. Sasuke turned around and headed home.

Konoha was larger than Naruto had ever imagined, much bigger than Oto for sure. It was very busy too. Cars roamed up and down the streets, people were bustling about trying to get somewhere or just out to have fun. There were all different sizes of buildings. Colorful ones, office buildings, ones with strange shaped windows. There were also a lot of places to see. Seeing how amazing the city was calmed Naruto.

He began to window-shop around the stores seeing what was there. A lot of unique things caught his eye, especially a frog wallet. Grinning wide, Naruto immediately went in and bought it.

"Ahahaha! Much nicer than the wallet I have. I can use this for all that loose change I always get." He placed the wallet into his book bag then roamed the back streets of Konoha. Soon, he came to an area that seemed for "wealthy" people. Large homes and estates lined the streets. Naruto saw people giving him strange looks as though he didn't belong in this part of the city. "Ehehe… I think I've gone a little too far."

Quickly, he turned around to leave, but suddenly the screams of a girl stopped him.

"No! Stop! Leave me alone!" Her distress increased. Naruto looked to the left and right and noticed no one seemed to be paying attention… Or it more seemed like they were ignoring it on purpose. Anger suddenly boiled in Naruto. Were the people around here just going to ignore her cries for help? Not thinking about it anymore, Naruto raced through the alleyways trying to locate the scream and when he finally did, his eyes widened.

Pushed down on the ground held by two boys was a girl he had seen before. Thinking back it was the dark purple, longhaired girl from that time Neji Hyuuga spoke to him. Two other boys were standing nearby with smirks on their faces. The girl struggled under their grips, but could not get free. They were going to assault her.

"HEY!" Naruto yelled running over and kicking the first boy nearest him. That boy flew a few feet hitting against the side of the alleyway wall. The boys suddenly became confused and looked around carefully then saw Naruto. Their eyes narrowed. Being in the alleyway, it was hard to see, but they definitely could see he was their age.

"What do you want, brat?" The boy still standing growled at Naruto. The other two boys held a hand over the girl's mouth to keep her quiet, but they remained still watching Naruto and their friend.

"What do you think you are doing to that girl?" Naruto glared at them, hands clenched.

"It's none of your business, now is it?" The boy responded with haughtiness. Naruto twitched. He despised arrogant people. "Why don't you go run home to mommy and stay out of the way." He clenched his hands tighter. "Or do you want to get killed?" His fist flew.

The boy's jaw was impacted with Naruto's fist. He fell to the ground with a yelp and a hand to his face. The first boy Naruto had kicked was now standing. The other two got up, one holding onto the girl with a hand still over her mouth.

"So you want death, eh? C'mon boys. He's not the UPFK, and he's just a kid. We can take him." Two boys raced to Naruto's left and right aiming to hit his sides. The boy that got hit in the jaw stood up and raced toward Naruto from the front. Naruto grinned.

Ducking, the boys on Naruto's left and right hit each other while he kicked forward hitting the last one in the stomach. He got up quickly and raced toward the boy with the girl aiming for his face. Scared, the boy moved the girl completely in the way making Naruto stop inches from her face. Her eyes were wide with fear, and flowing with tears. Naruto slowly placed down his hand not wanting to harm the girl. The boy grinned and motioned with his head. The other three boys got up and grabbed Naruto from behind pinning him down.

"Did you think you were going to win, high and mighty 'hero'?" The boys jeered at Naruto then hit him in the face. "That's for nearly breaking my jaw." The girl struggled at seeing Naruto being hit again and again, tears still streaming down her face. He gripped his hands behind his back then ripped an arm forward and grabbed the hand hitting his face, stopping it. The boy glared.

"You made her cry. Now you're going to pay for that." Naruto ripped his other hand free and kicked the boy that was hitting him. He went down. Naruto turned to the other two boys that had been holding him down; they tried to attack but Naruto took them out with a good punch to the face. One left. Slowly he turned and looked to the boy holding the girl. Again, he held the girl in front thinking Naruto wouldn't strike.

"Just try it…" The boy antagonized him.

Naruto ran forward then slid down and went between their legs, which were spread wide. He got up quickly and hit the boy in the back of the neck making him let go of the girl and fall down. The girl stood there motionless then Naruto grabbed her hand and began to race out of there. "Let's go before they wake up!" She could only nod and try to keep up with him.

-oO0-o)

"Ow, ow, ow!" Naruto groaned as the girl pressed cotton to his face. They found a place that was out of the way of people. Luckily, in the girl's pocket of her skirt was a cotton ball. She cleaned his face off and then gave him a shy smile.

"I… t-thank you…" She said barely above a whisper. Naruto rubbed his face then smiled at her making the girl blush.

"You're not hurt are you?" Naruto asked concerned and getting close to her face making her blush more. He was completely naïve to her emotions pouring onto her face, and to personal space of a woman.

"I… uh… n-no…" She gave her shy smile again in reassurance. Naruto sat back with a sigh of relief.

"Good. What happened anyway?"

"They… attacked me when I was… c-coming from the store."

"AH! Those punks! How dare they attack a girl! Hmph, if I ever see them again I'll give them a better beating." Naruto slammed a fist into his hand. The girl placed a hand up.

"You… don't have to, this is enough…"

"No way!" Naruto turned to her giving her a grin. "Let me take you home in case they attack again."

"B-but…" She began to protest, but Naruto was already on his feet. He pulled her up and began to walk in a general direction, although he slowly came to a stop and turned to her with a sheepish smile.

"Err… where is your house?" He gave a small laugh rubbing the back of his head. A smile came to the girl's face.

"It's this way. Toward the estates."

"Oh, oh! I was just over there." Naruto grabbed her hand and began to walk again. The girl could only watch him as he led her home. He only asked a few more questions before it became silent between the two. The light was beginning to fade, but eventually they came to a large gate to an estate. Naruto stared up at the gate slowly coming to a realization. "WAIT you live here?"

"Yes." Naruto blinked at the girl as she knocked on it. People came rushing out a few moments later, and when they saw who it was they hugged her.

"OH! Hinata-sama you have returned. We were so worried for you…"

_Hinata, huh? That's such a beautiful name._ Naruto smiled that he was able to ease this family's worries.

"Yes, I'm fine thanks to this boy helping me." She pointed to Naruto smiling. Naruto smiled back, and then bowed.

"I am glad to have helped."

"Thank you dear lad. You should come in to be thanked properly!" Naruto looked to the sky then shook his head politely.

"It is late, I should head home."

"Of course. Be safe." They bowed to him and closed the gates leaving Naruto by himself.

Naruto grinned and began to walk out to the streets that would lead him home. _Heh, she sure was pretty._ Suddenly, he realized something making him hang his head. _I never told her my name._

-oO0-o)

**September 12th, Wednesday. Lunchroom.**

"Naruto… Namikaze." Naruto stopped eating his lunch and looked up surprised to see Gaara standing before the table. Sasuke blinked and placed down his pencil. Gaara hadn't been at school today, so it was a shock to see him here. Even more of a shock that he actually came up to their table. "What… is the… meaning of a friend?"

Naruto blinked then smiled. "A friend is a person who you always have fun with! They watch your back, and make sure you are never lonely." Naruto glanced at Sasuke who grinned at him. "They get in trouble with you and never bail on you. They are people who care for each other." Naruto smiled at Gaara with honesty.

Gaara gripped his arm. "No… one put you up to this…?" Naruto gave him a confused expression. "You… wish to truly be my friend? Why…?"

"Why? Because I understand what it's like. I know how these people look at you… I had that too, but then… I found a friend and it went away. I was able to recover. Gaara, I want to be your friend. You won't have to be lonely anymore. This isn't out of pity; this is because I want to do it because it's what needs to be done." Naruto had a smile on his face, and a faraway look in his eyes showing he wasn't being deceitful at all. Gaara stared at him then bit his lip.

"I… would like that… if you became my friend." He managed to mumble out. Naruto popped back into reality from those words and gave a large smile. He stood up and leaned over the table.

"REALLY?" Gaara nodded quickly. "I'm so glad! You're going to have loads of fun with me and Sasuke! I promise that I will always remain your friend to the end." Naruto placed his hand out to Gaara and he stared at it.

"I… uh…"

"It's a handshake of Naruto stupidity." Sasuke said giving a smile.

"HEY!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at Sasuke who rolled his eyes in response. Gaara looked to Sasuke before slowly taking Naruto's hand. "Welcome to the Namikaze and Uchiha Super Fun Filled Adventures! Or better known as the NUSFFA-" (Naruto is actually pronouncing it 'noose fa' instead of saying the letters) Sasuke jabbed Naruto in the side giving him a glare.

"I told you to stop making up stupid names, idiot!"

"HEY! It isn't stupid! I think it's an awesome name!"

"And I think your brain has been screwed on backwards today!"

"Your brain was never screwed on period!" Sasuke twitched then stood up and the two began to bicker. Gaara looked between them with a small smile coming to his face. A thought crossed his mind of his two siblings doing the same thing.

Unknown to the three, students had actually been listening in since Gaara walked up to Naruto and Sasuke. They were astonished. Naruto had actually befriended a person famed to be a "killer". Their point of views of Naruto had changed, and so did their view of Gaara. They never thought to think that Gaara was just a shy person, although not all the students believed it.

"OH GAARA!" Naruto suddenly spoke up between the arguing. Gaara looked up with a surprise. "You're invited to my house Friday for dinner so we'll wait for you by the gates after school that day!" The bell rang and Gaara nodded to Naruto. Sasuke pushed Naruto's head down in a tease then ran out the door. Naruto growled, waved to Gaara, and then ran after. "See you then!"

-oO0-o)

**September 14th, Friday. After School.**

Naruto and Sasuke were waiting patiently next to the school gates for Gaara. Soon, Gaara came up with a stunned look on his face. He stopped next to the two blinking slowly.

"You… did wait."

"Yeah! Of course we would. I never go back on what I say." Naruto grinned then looped an arm over Gaara's shoulder. "Now off to the infamous Namikaze house!" Naruto began to walk pulling Gaara along. Sasuke followed after, hands in his pockets.

"Ha! I think the Uchihas are more infamous than the Namikazes."

"Pssh, you have a police force, WE have a company!"

"…Naruto. I would think a police force would be more well-known than a company." Sasuke gave him this look. Naruto's face went sour then he turned away in a 'humph'.

"Do… you two always argue?" Gaara asked quietly. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and nodded. "Why?"

"Mmm, Gaara let's just say this is how our friendship started, but there are times when we don't argue as well." Sasuke smiled looking into the sky. "Friendships come in different forms; ours usually have arguments, but they are good-humored and don't really mean much."

"I see…"

"Yup! Now onward!" Naruto trudged forward continuing to pull a helpless redhead along. Sasuke laughed and shook his head.

When they arrived at the house Kushina hugged them, even Gaara. "It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Gaara-kun! Naruto has talked so much about you." She gave a sweet smile inviting the boys in.

Gaara stared at Kushina, looked at Naruto, and then back to Kushina. "He… has?"

"Oh yes he does! He only says good things about you."

Naruto gave an embarrassing smile. "Mom… C'mon, not in front of my friends." Kushina stuck out her tongue then went into the kitchen. "Let's go to my room Gaara! Then later you can meet my dad and Itachi."

"Oh god, let's have him NOT meet Itachi." Sasuke groaned.

"Are you talking about me?" Suddenly, Sasuke's brother popped up behind them spooking the three. They slowly turned around.

"Speak of the devil, it's Itachi… Let's make a run for it before he does something!" Sasuke joked giving a fake panic expression. Naruto then took off pulling Gaara. Sasuke followed after.

"Hey… Oh. Naruto, Sasuke." They heard Itachi growl then running footsteps. Gaara was completely confused and had no idea what was going on, but for some reason he felt a nice feeling from his chest. A feeling he hadn't felt since he was a child. As the boys ran Sasuke and Naruto were laughing until Itachi appeared in front of them. "Gotcha!" Itachi tackled the boys and began to wrestle. Gaara fell to the floor and stared at them.

Itachi won. He had both Naruto and Sasuke pinned down. Sasuke groaned and struggled while Naruto pouted. "Tch, let go Itachi!"

"Not until you say I've won."

"No way!"

"I'm waiting, little brother."

"Mmmmm…. No! Now get off!"

"Never." Itachi crossed his arms waiting patiently. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a look then pushed up with their backs spinning Itachi off. Itachi rolled into the wall and flopped onto his side. When he sat up he glared at the two then began laughing. Sasuke and Naruto joined in, and soon they settled down, and looked to Gaara who had an amused look on his face. "So this is Gaara, Naruto?"

"YUP!" Naruto grinned. Gaara bowed his head to Itachi.

"I am Gaara Sabaku."

"Nice to meet you, I am Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother." After introductions, they stood up and went into the kitchen sitting down seeing as dinner would be ready soon. Kushina was busy humming to herself, and then when Minato entered the room she went over giving him a hug and kiss.

"Minato! Look, Gaara-kun is here." Kushina pointed to the redhead. Minato peeked around his wife and waved to Gaara.

"Ah, Gaara-kun. Haven't seen you since August." Minato smiled sitting down at the table. Gaara's eyes widened and he bowed quickly to Minato.

"Namikaze-sama… I… I did not know… that Naruto-san was your son."

"That's alright Gaara-kun. I never mentioned my son and his friend to you while I brought you here."

"I should have connected the surnames…" Gaara apologized again with a bow. Minato reached over gently patting Gaara's head.

"Really, it's fine, but anyway. Gaara-kun, you go back tomorrow, right?" Gaara nodded then Minato turned to Sasuke and Naruto. "Would you like company?"

Naruto noticed his father looking at him when he said that. "EH? WE GET TO COME?"

"Yes, if Gaara-kun doesn't mind." He looked back to Gaara.

"I… would like that."

"AWESOME! I'M GOING TO PACK!" Naruto got up but both Itachi and Sasuke grabbed him. Kushina smiled.

"Thank you boys. Naruto… there is dinner, so SIT!" Kushina commanded. Naruto sweat dropped and sighed. Everyone laughed even Gaara.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Woot! End! Chapter 4 switches to Sakura finally. We get to have an introduction of her and what's going on between her with Sasuke and Naruto.

Gaara speaks polite instead of saying full names once he gets to know a person. It gets… frustrating after awhile with Gaara saying first and last name all the time. I should know, I wrote it a lot in Love's such a drag.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and comments and ideas are always welcomed!


	4. Festival and First Missed Encounter

I wrote Matsuri because the world of _Naruto_ is based on Japanese culture, but this story world has no actual culture as a foundation. Meaning I will put in any culture at any place. I just wanted to state that before people start accusing me that I did wrong concerning culture in the story.

_By the way. If you are curious to see what the uniforms look like for these two schools, look on my deviantart gallery. There will be a folder specifically for this. (Link to my gallery is on my profile page)_

Side note. If you ever see -oO0-o)0(o-0Oo- rather than -oO0-o), it means it's switching between the girls and boys.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 17th, Monday. Konoha High.**

"Aaaah Sakura! Get up! Today is the start of the Matsuri and we need to be at our homeroom." Sakura moaned in her sleep not wanting to wake up, and then shivered as the blankets were pulled off of her. "Sakura!"

"Alright already…" Sakura mumbled sitting up with a yawn. Her best friend, Ino, stood at the edge of the bed in her blue and pale purple uniform. Ino's hands were on her hips and in her right hand was a uniform. Sakura stared blankly until, _thump_, the uniform was thrown onto her head. "Hey! Ino I can get my own clothes."

"Yeah, after five years! You are seriously taking too long." The blonde mumbled greatly before heading into the walk-in closet. Sakura pulled the uniform off her face and stared down at it.

_The Matsuri, huh?_ Sakura thought._ I wonder if… they'll be there._ A smile came to her face, and she quickly got up.

"Oh I hope they are!" Sakura shouted aloud.

"Hope they are what?" Ino asked peeking out of the closet.

Sakura turned quickly and gave Ino a smile. "Nothing!" She skipped past her best friend and into the bathroom to get ready.

-oO0-o)

Sakura and Ino walked into their homeroom waving to their teacher, Kurenai.

"Good morning, girls. You almost didn't make it." Kurenai gave a shake of her finger, but had a smile on her face.

"Yeah, thanks to Sakura sleeping in!" Ino poked Sakura in the side; Sakura retaliated with a punch to Ino's arm then sat down. "She's even violent. Must still be sleeping!"

"Ino!" Sakura blushed and crossed her arms glaring. Ino stuck out her tongue then sat down. Kurenai only shook her head at them. She leaned back against her desk waiting for all the students to settle in.

Once they were seated and the bell rang, she began. "Alright girls. We're heading over to the boys' school for this Matsuri. You know what that means, no flirting." A bunch of 'aws' followed after with giggles. "Once we have gone over there you may do what you wish, except leave the campus. This is still a school day. Let me take roll and then I'll lead us over."

Sakura turned in her seat to face Ino. "Ino, help me look for Sasuke-kun and Naruto, please!" She whispered with a desperate expression on her face. Ino leaned forward whispering back.

"But, I only know what they look like when they were young. You sure they'll look the same?"

"I'm hoping they do…"

"I also hope that you're right thinking they moved here…" Ino sat back and Sakura sighed hanging her head. "But, I'm sure they did! Who'd want to stay in that-"

"Sakura-san, Ino-san! We are leaving." Kurenai announced from the door. Sakura turned around then quickly got up and raced over to the door with Ino behind her. Kurenai ushered them out then took the lead of her class.

Many girls were in the hallway chatting about. This was the first Matsuri of the year, which was being held on the boys' campus. It was also the first time for the schools to get together. It made everyone excited as most students stayed in the dorms making seeing each other only on weekends. The Matsuri always lasts for one week, full of fun activities and entertainment.

Sakura and Ino inched forward to be the first of their homeroom class anxious to see what the Matsuri was going to be like. It was their first year as they were Freshmen, and their middle school didn't do such events being as it was co-ed. Sakura came next to Kurenai and stopped at the gate that divided Kitsune from Konoha. Ino and Sakura exchanged excited glances as the gate began to crawl open.

Sakura glimpsed up and stared at the two mascots of the school: Kitsune's, the Kyuubi, and Konoha's, the Nibi -the nine-tailed demon fox, and the two-tailed demon cat-. The mascots were on the back of shirts and jackets. The Kyuubi was orange while the Nibi was a light blue. Sakura gave a smile; she really liked the mascots and thought they represented the two schools well. She turned her eyes back to the gate feeling jittering with anticipation.

"You will wait until the gate fully opens!" A megaphone blasted over the Konoha girls. "Do not run; we don't need any injuries." The excitement became louder overtaking the megaphone, and then the gates fully opened. Girls quickly entered the boys' campus in an orderly fashion leaving the teachers behind. Sakura grabbed Ino's hand and raced to the buildings.

"Sakura!" Ino laughed as she was being drugged into a building. "Slow down will you? We have all day for this and then the next four days!"

Sakura slowly came to a walk and gave Ino a sheepish smile sticking out her tongue. "Sorry Ino. This is just so exciting compared to middle school and Oto." Ino rolled her eyes. "Err, so what first?"

"Well, didn't you want to see if Sasuke-kun or Naruto-kun attended this school?"

"Yes! I'll go ask around." And before Ino could stop her Sakura was off to find the boys. With a smile and a sigh Ino ran after her.

Sakura spent most of her time running from boy to boy asking if they knew Naruto or Sasuke, and each time the boy shook his head or said the names didn't sound familiar. Eventually, Sakura sat down on a bench with a sad expression on her face. Ino came next to her and handed her a dumpling.

"Don't give up. Maybe they don't go to Kitsune High. There are other high schools, Sakura." Ino was trying to be encouraging. Sakura looked up at her and gave a tiny smile. Ino sat down and patted Sakura's head. Together they watched the Matsuri from the classroom windows. They enjoyed the dumplings relaxing with the warm breeze blowing through the windows. Minutes ticked by until Sakura stood up staring out the window. Ino watched her curiously.

"What am I doing Ino?" Sakura asked suddenly. Ino lifted up an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? You're trying to find your-"

"No." Sakura interrupted her and looked down. "I mean, really… I shouldn't have expected them to be here of all places." She held her arm and stared at the tile beneath her feet then abruptly something smacked her head making her turn and glare.

It had been Ino. She was glaring with her hands on her hips. "Are you going to give up that easily?" Sakura bit her lip looking away. "Sakura! Tell me why you are doing this."

"Doing what…"

"Why you are trying to desperately find these two boys is what!"

"You already know why, Ino."

"Humor me."

"But…"

"Just tell me again!" Ino pulled Sakura to sit down.

Sakura looked to Ino then took a deep breath. "I met Sasuke-kun and Naruto when I was eight years old. I had been teased by a bunch of the girls from my class, and was hiding out in the school gardens. Unfortunately, those girls found me and began to tease me, pull at my hair, kick me, and other such things. I was at the point of giving in when I heard a cry of 'Stop it!'. I thought it had been a teacher, but it was Sasuke-kun and Naruto. The girls left and they helped me to my feet.

"I was afraid at first because boys had teased me as well, but they smiled and cleaned me up. They… heh… became my best friends. We played together even though we lived on opposite sides of town. They took every chance to they could get to come and see me as I wasn't allowed to leave my house. We were happy and had so much fun… but as all things do eventually, it came to an end. At the end of 6th grade, when I was 12 years old, my parents decided to move from Oto. It… was heartbreaking to leave them behind, but I had to. I could see they were upset but we made a promise that day.

"Sasuke-kun said to me: 'Sakura-chan! We'll see each other again, right Naruto?'. 'Yeah! When we get older we promise to come and find you! We'll be together again!' Naruto had said with such a cheerful smile. And to this day I always keep that in my heart…"

Sakura was leaning out the window with a smile on her face and a tear rolling down her cheek. Ino gently rubbed her back then hugged her. She had already been told this story, but she knew Sakura needed a reminder to keep her faith in herself.

"What will you do now then?" Ino asked softly. Sakura looked up at her.

"Let's go find them."

"That's the spirit! Now c'mon, let's go find the Student Council President and ask him if he knows them." Ino pulled Sakura to her feet grinning.

"Yes, let's go." Sakura headed out of the classroom. The first boy she saw was Kiba with Akamaru at his feet. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah?" Kiba turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Where is your Student President?"

"Err… He is… um who was that again…?" Kiba bit his lip thinking. Sakura gave a frown slowly blinking at him.

_He doesn't even know his own Student Council President?_

"Neji Hyuuga." A boy with dark glasses and short spiky hair answered. He came up next to Kiba and jabbed him in the ribs. "However, he is not here." Sakura gave a sigh and then bowed.

"Thank you… I'm sorry for bothering you then." She turned around, but stopped when the boy said wait. She turned her head back. "Yes?"

"What do you need the SCP for?"

"I was going to ask if he knew two Freshmen."

"He is the SCP of the school, but he is a Sophomore, so it's unlikely he knows them."

"Oh… I see. Thank you." Sakura turned back around and headed out of the building they were in. Ino followed closing behind then patted Sakura's head.

"You're not going to give up, are you Sakura?"

"No… but I'll try again later."

"Aaaw, alright, but don't look so down. Now come on! Let's go enjoy the Matsuri." Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and led her away.

-oO0-o)

"Inoooooooooooooooooo! C'mon this is the fifth time we've gone through this event." Sakura groaned as Ino dragged her into a flower garden.

"But, but, but, but SAKURA. You weren't paying attention the four other times!" Ino gave a sour look then a pink flower caught her eye and she ran over to it leaving Sakura by herself. Sakura, seeing a chance to escape, quickly turned and headed in the opposite direction of Ino. When she finally came to a stop, she found herself surrounded by purple flowers. She sighed and sat down mumbling. She didn't mind flowers, but now she was getting sick of seeing them.

"If Ino dares to drag me through this again," Sakura began to mumble, "I swear I'll punch her in the face!" She punched forward hitting a couple of flowers, which broke off and fell to the ground. Sakura stared at them with a gaping expression that quickly turned to a panic expression.

_I didn't mean to break them! What if I get in trouble for this? AAH I need to control my temper!_ As Sakura continued to scream in her head she failed to notice a shy, long, purple-haired girl appear next to her.

"Are… are you okay…?" The girl asked lightly. Sakura stopped and slowly turned to look at the girl.

"Oh… Hi there. Err, yeah I'm fine." Sakura rubbed the back of her head awkwardly biting her lip that someone had actually seen her panicking.

"Heh. Are you upset that the flowers broke?" The girl asked. Sakura gave a light nod. "Don't be, look." Carefully she picked up the broken flowers and gently placed them into the soft dirt.

Sakura stared then smiled at the girl. "Thanks…" The girl smiled back then began to stand up. "Err, wait! What's your name? Mine's Sakura Haruno. We have the same uniform from Konoha, but I don't think I've seen you around."

"Oh… My name is Hinata Hyuuga. I'm… usually by myself." She knelt back down having a smile on her face.

"Hyuuga… Are you related to Neji Hyuuga by any chance?" Sakura asked stretching her legs out on the ground. Hinata nodded.

"He's my cousin, but I like to think of him as my older brother." Hinata softly touched the flowers in front of her. Sakura observed her quietly. "People… don't like him because he acts too arrogant… But really, he's very gentle and caring." She explained even though no one had asked. Sakura gave a smile. She could see that Hinata wasn't really talking directly to her, but it was nice to hear her talk about someone she adored.

"You love him a lot?" Sakura commented. Hinata turned to her giving a surprised expression. "Heh, I mean as a sibling."

"Oh… yes." Hinata looked down then back up. "You're not going to ridicule me?"

"Eh? Why would I do that?"

"Be-because everyone does…" Hinata bit her lip and began to mess with her fingers.

"Why? Did you do something wrong?" Hinata shook her head. "Then why?"

"My… family. No one likes the Hyuugas! Everyone… thinks we're… spoiled rich children, so… Neji-niisan and I have no friends…" She placed her hands over her face and tears flowed down her cheeks. Sakura's eyes widened greatly before she gripped her hands.

"What a stupid…" Sakura stood up making Hinata look up at her quickly. Sakura reached down and gently brought Hinata to her feet then hugged her. She felt Hinata tense up then relax.

"S…Sakura-san?"

"Let's be friends, Hinata-san."

"Eh?" Hinata seemed confused. Sakura slowly let go and gave her a smile.

"I want to be your friend."

"But… but what about what others…"

"Who cares!" Sakura threw her fist up with a grin. "I'll hit anyone that dares to try to make fun of you or your family!"

"Who's family?" Sakura jumped and turned around to see her best friend.

"The Hyuuga family."

"…You're going to hit them?" Ino gave a confused expression. Sakura face palmed.

"No! I'm going to hit anyone that makes fun of the Hyuuga family."

"Oh. Now that makes more sense." Ino laughed then finally noticed Hinata. "Hi there. Oh, you must be a Hyuuga with those eyes. My names Ino Yamanaka. What's your name?"

"…H…Hinata." Hinata mumbled shyly hiding behind Sakura. Ino stared at her. "Is… there wrong- KYAA!"

Ino glomped Hinata and held her close. "Oh my god she is so cute!" Sakura laughed at the panic expression on Hinata's face.

"It's okay Hinata-san. She just happens to like cute things." Sakura rolled her eyes then cleared her throat. Ino placed Hinata down and took a step back.

"Sorry, my bad. Oh, oh! Can I call you Hinata-chan?" Ino asked with a sparkle in her eye. Hinata slowly gave a nod. "YES! Ooooh, I've always wanted to hug you." And she did hug her again. Sakura laughed and shook her head. A smile and a blush came to Hinata's face making Sakura happy.

-oO0-o)

The first day of the Matsuri ended. Sakura, Ino, and their new found friend Hinata were walking back toward the dorms until Hinata stopped.

"I live outside in my home, Sakura-chan, Ino-chan." By her wish and Ino's demand, Hinata began to use the honorific -chan with them.

Sakura smiled at her and gave a light hug. "We'll see you tomorrow at the gates then?"

"I get here early, are you okay with that?"

Ino gave a look to Sakura then grinned. "Absolutely." Sakura gave a sour expression then nodded to Hinata. Hinata smiled and walked out of the gate. She was greeted by a black, longhaired boy who Sakura assumed to be Neji. Hinata waved to them then walked away. "Aaaaaaw she's such a sweet girl! I don't know why anyone would think she's a spoiled, arrogant brat. Cause she's nothing like that." Ino gave a face then turned and went to the dorms.

Sakura lingered there and stared up at the sky. It was becoming dark, but the setting sun gave off a brilliant orange/blue streak across the sky.

_Heh. Sasuke-kun and Naruto's colors. Perhaps that's a sign to continue to hope that I will see them again. _Satisfied, Sakura headed into the dorms.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**Early Morning of September 18th, Tuesday.**

Naruto stared up at the buildings that loomed in front of him. An expression of awe was on his face. Sasuke mimicked his expression standing right next to him. They had arrived at the city of Suna.

"Welcome to my home." Gaara said pushing the boys forward. Naruto and Sasuke shook out of their admiration for the city. They looked to each other and stopped in place while Gaara continued to try to push them. They turned around and grabbed his head then pushed him back. He blinked at them then tried reaching out.

"Ha! Can't win against two people." Naruto laughed. Gaara frowned and stood up straight crossing his arms.

"This is not fair, Naruto."

"Pssh, who said I ever fight fair?"

"You don't, that's why no one has said so." Sasuke answered even though it was a rhetorical question. Then he let go of Gaara and pushed Naruto over. Naruto fell to his butt and blinked several times then he jumped up to tackle Sasuke, but Minato grabbed him hosting him into the air.

"Now, now boys. Let's be respectful here. We need to take Gaara-kun home. That's at the end of the city, and like Konoha it's pretty far." Minato placed his son down and pointed to a circular building looming in the background. "That is the mayor's residence."

"Right, I got it Dad. Time to go." Naruto smiled placing hands behind his head.

"And keep your voices down. People are still sleeping." The boys nodded to Minato. He grabbed Gaara's luggage and began to walk with the three following after.

It had taken three days to reach Suna, four if they count the day they had stopped. On the trip Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara had become good friends. Gaara smiled more and played along with their games. The car ride had been full of laughter and much noise.

Naruto grabbed Gaara and pointed to a tall Suna building. "Oh, oh what's that?" Gaara struggled out of Naruto's grip and smiled.

"My school."

"Ooooh. It's big."

"It's a co-ed school and the most popular in Suna. Shikamaru-kun goes there with my two siblings." Gaara walked past with Naruto staring at it. Sasuke kicked Naruto forward making him almost run into Gaara. He snickered then came next to Gaara smirking at a glaring Naruto.

"Gaara. Who's Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked, interested.

"Oh. Shikamaru Nara. I traded places with him." Gaara responded giving a smile.

"…Traded places?" Naruto was clueless at what he meant. Sasuke rolled his eyes and used Naruto's shoulder as an arm rest as they walked. Naruto gave Sasuke a side-ways glare again.

Minato answered. "Naruto, Gaara-kun was an exchange student. Meaning Konoha and Suna each exchanged a student so they could experience the schools in the other city. Gaara-kun volunteered as did Shikamaru-kun."

"…Oh. I get it now."

"Jeez, took you long enough." Sasuke mumbled. Naruto twitched and ignored him looking the other way. "…Idiot." Sasuke let out lightly.

That triggered it. "What did you say?" Naruto stopped making Sasuke stop. Sasuke turned toward him with a smirk.

"Idiot."

"I'm not an idiot! I know the difference between a girl and a boy!" It wasn't a very smart reply and even Naruto realized how stupid it sounded. Sasuke stared at him gaping in amazement. Gaara tried not to laugh and Minato was sighing with a smile. "Err… That's not what I meant to say…"

"I don't know what to say to that." Sasuke chuckled and turned away from Naruto. Naruto hung his head.

"Ah Naruto! C'mon, don't fall behind." His father called after him. Naruto sighed and slowly followed after his father.

His 'depression' didn't last long. As soon as he saw the mayor's office building his eyes grew wide with awe just like when he had entered Suna. He raced up to it with glee on his face and stood under the archway that was before the entrance. Minato rubbed Naruto's head as he past going inside. Sasuke and Gaara looked to each other then grabbed Naruto and began to drag him inside.

Inside was just as fascinating as outside. Naruto looked around to see the structure of the building was just as beautiful as all of Suna. He hopped around looking at one thing after another. Sasuke sighed placing a hand over his face.

"Is… he always like this?" Gaara asked giving Naruto a weird look.

"Every time he finds a new place that fascinates him. Just don't show him a ramen shop or he'll go ballistic." Sasuke went over to Naruto, grabbed him, dragged him over to the chairs, and then made him sit. "Stay!"

"But."

"Stay!"

"…Fine."

"Good boy." Sasuke patted Naruto's head like a dog making Naruto growl. "Bad boy! Don't growl at your master."

"WHAT? SASUKE I AM NOT YOUR DOG!" Naruto got up but Sasuke pushed him back down.

"I'll put a leash on you if you don't settle down." He meant it too. Naruto glared at him then crossed his arms and began to pout. Sasuke sat next to him with a pleased look on his face, and all the while in the background Gaara was laughing at them.

A few minutes later two people raced down the stairs. A tall girl with four blond pigtails, and a boy that was a little bit taller than Naruto with spiky, brown hair. When they saw Gaara they hugged him tightly almost making him fall over. Naruto and Sasuke blinked in surprise at them.

"Gaara!" The girl spoke up. "I'm so glad you're home. Did you have fun? Did you make any friends? Was it what you expected?" She continued to bombard Gaara with questions not letting him get a word in edge-wise. Finally, the brown haired boy placed a hand over her mouth.

"Temari… he can't answer if you don't shut up." He rolled his eyes but then he was pushed over.

"Kankuro, don't you dare tell me to shut up! I can say what I want, as long as I want." She glared at the boy, Kankuro, before looking back at Gaara.

"Temari, Kankuro… I did have fun…" Gaara smiled softly making Temari and Kankuro blink several times. Gaara cast his eyes over to Sasuke and Naruto. "I made two friends: Naruto and Sasuke."

"YO!" Naruto spoke up first giving Temari and Kankuro a salute. "I'm Naruto Namikaze."

"And I'm Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke bowed then both boys got up coming over.

"Sasuke, Naruto, these two are my older siblings, Temari and Kankuro." Gaara pointed to them in turn. Temari stared at Naruto and Sasuke then leaned in close to them making them lean back.

After a moment she stood up straight. "An idiot and a 'cool' guy." Naruto twitched and crossed his arms and Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. "Well I suppose they'll do."

Kankuro shook his head at Temari then held his hand out. "Ignore our older sister, she's rude." Naruto shook his hand as did Sasuke. "But what she means is she's glad you're our brother's friend." Kankuro patted Gaara's head with a smile.

"Has a funny way of saying it…" Naruto mumbled. Temari turned and glared at him making Naruto edge back placing his hands up. "Sorry!"

After a few more introductions all five of the children sat down and began to talk. Temari and Kankuro were actually a lot nicer than they looked; they also seemed to adore Gaara very much. When Gaara and Naruto told the story of how they became friends Temari and Kankuro couldn't help themselves and hugged Naruto and Sasuke. They seemed overjoyed that Naruto and Sasuke would go against the entire thought of the school just to become friends with Gaara.

"Hmph. Looks like I have two more reasons to let my son stay in Konoha." The children looked up at the sound of an older man's voice. Standing at the foot of the stairs with Minato was a man that looked very much like an older version of Kankuro.

"Father…"Gaara got up and went up to his father. His father reached down and gently rubbed Gaara's head. Temari and Kankuro followed after pulling Naruto and Sasuke along. Gaara looked at his two new friends then back to his father. "I can stay in Konoha?"

"If that is what you wish." His father gave a small smile. Gaara nodded. "Then you may stay as long as you like. Temari, Kankuro. You can attend Kitsune and Konoha High as well if you wish."

"Eh? Really?" Gaara's siblings shouted at the same time.

"But it will take a week or so to get you registered there." They nodded to their father. "Now if you'll excuse me, Minato and I have things to discuss. Take them back to the house Kankuro, oh and Temari?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" The father gave a raise of his eyebrow to his daughter.

She stared blankly at him until her face lit up with alarm. "AH! I left Shikamaru!" Quickly, Temari run up the stairs with Minato and her father following after.

-oO0-o)

"This stone, it is beautiful isn't it?" Gaara avowed holding up clear round stone with white and orange swirls twirling inside of it.

Gaara, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kankuro were all in the Sabaku's home. Gaara was showing Naruto his room, and the things he treasured. Sasuke and Kankuro were elsewhere about the house most likely waiting for Temari to come back.

Naruto leaned forward eyes smiling. "What is it?" He asked eagerly.

"A gift… from my mother." There was a sad look on Gaara's face even though there was a smile. Naruto sat back knowing as Gaara's mother was dead. He stared at Gaara as he twirled the stone around in his fingers.

"Gaara?"

"Yes Naruto?" Gaara glanced at Naruto tilting his head to the side.

"What… was your mother like?" Naruto asked being careful. He didn't want to upset Gaara anymore than he already was. Gaara slowly blinked at Naruto then looked back to the stone.

"She was gentle and always kind. She loved to smile and play with me and my siblings. Sometimes we'd go out into Suna just when the sun was setting and watch the rocks change colors. It was our favorite thing to do; she especially loved to watch me and Kankuro play while Temari fussed with her hair. She always cared for us and I never saw her sad." Gaara leaned back and stared up through the skylight. Naruto curled up with a smile continuing to watch Gaara.

"What's your fondest memory of her?"

"When she and Father took me, Kankuro, and Temari to the ocean. I was 7 years old at that time. It was a stunning sight that cannot be described in words. Being out in the desert makes you appreciate things that don't exist out here." Gaara leaned forward and slowly placed the stone on a pedestal before getting up and brushing himself off. Naruto got up as well and began to stretch. "I think Temari is here. I'd like you to meet Shikamaru if you don't mind?"

Naruto smiled. "Heh, of course I'll meet him!"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 23rd, Sunday afternoon.**

Sakura led Ino and Hinata through the shopping district. Today was Ino's birthday; she was turning 14 years old and Sakura was treating her out. Sakura stopped at the clothes central and looked left and right before looking to Ino.

"Choose a shop and I'll buy you whatever you want, Ino!" Sakura smiled.

Ino beamed and jumped up and down. "REALLY?"

"Within my budget."

"Yes, of course." Ino smiled with giddiness then looked about the clothing stores. Finally, she picked one and raced into it. Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"Come on Hinata-chan. Let's go after her before she goes to buy out the entire store." Sakura grabbed Hinata's hand and followed after. She looked around the store as they came inside. "Oh great. I've already lost her."

"I'm sure she won't go overboard, Sakura-chan." Hinata smiled gently messing with a dress.

"I'm sure she will." Sakura sighed and leaned against the wall next to Hinata. She finally caught sight of Ino who was picking through many skirts and shirts. Sakura rolled her eyes then they wandered about aimlessly. Eventually, she was looking out the store and observing the people that passed by.

She saw girls from her school and a couple of boys from the Matsuri. A smile came to her face as she thought of the Matsuri then she spaced out. Her mind traveled to the goal she had set in mind; the goal to find Sasuke and Naruto. She didn't have any more luck with the rest of the Matsuri, but then again she was too busy having fun. She began to wonder why she had become so desperate to find them when they could be anywhere in the world, or even worse they could have completely forgotten about her.

Her name was called bringing her from her mind. She sighed giving a shake before turning her head to Ino. Just as she turned her head, though Sasuke and Naruto came into view. They stopped by the store she was at and began to converse. Her focus was on Ino and Hinata who were trying to put a dress on her. When they were finished she turned back around, but Sasuke and Naruto were already out of sight. She blinked slowly feeling as if she had just missed something important. She gave a shrug not thinking of it anymore before going to pay for Ino's things.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-


	5. Detention and Memories

For people who are new to my stories -meaning those who have not read Love's such a drag- the words that are in bold and italics are indication of memory.

_**Some contents have changed from a recollection of Sasuke and Naruto's past in order to compensate Chapter 9.**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 24th, Monday.**

Naruto stretched as he and Sasuke walked to school. He yawned greatly and mumbled as he fumbled with his book bag. Yesterday, he and Sasuke had gone to the mall to find something for Shikamaru. It had been his birthday Saturday and he didn't say so until the next day cause he thought it was too troublesome. Feeling like he had to get something, Naruto dragged Sasuke to find something even though he had just met Shikamaru.

He had dared to pick a pineapple because it reminded him of Shikamaru's hair, but Sasuke threatened Naruto that if he did that he'd stuff that pineapple down his throat. Eventually, Naruto had picked up something nice after hours of looking.

Now he was tired after doing homework and wrapping the gift. He had stayed up quite late just to finish all of it, and he was regretting it. As they reached the entrance to the school he groaned and sat down on a low wall. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him and sat down next to him.

"What's up?" Sasuke asked as Naruto yawned again making him yawn.

"I'm just tired and don't want to go to school."

"You have to."

"I don't want to."

"Yes, I heard you the first time. Stop complaining and get up."

"You're not very sympathetic." Naruto pouted glaring at Sasuke.

Sasuke stood up and began to walk away waving his hand backwards. "I'm not the one who stayed up doing homework that should have been done the day of school." Naruto stuck his tongue out as Sasuke went into the building.

A few moments later he glanced up at the sky and cocked his head at the mascots. It was the first time he'd really looked at them. He thought they were goofy as they weren't very threatening looking then a few boys came up to him, and they definitely looked threatening.

"Um. You need something?" He asked them. They examined him then clenched their hands grinning.

"You… You're the boy that ruined our fun that weekend."

"Fun?" Naruto raised an eyebrow not really recognizing them.

"Yeah! You beat us up pretty good. We're here to take our revenge." There were four boys total. One grabbed Naruto by his sleeve and pulled him to his feet. Naruto frowned and examined them carefully. His eyes lit up when he recognized them finally.

"YOU! You guys were the one that were trying to hurt Hinata-chan!"

"We weren't going to hurt her." The boy who spoke first sighed shaking his head. "It was just a little-" He didn't get to finish for Naruto punched him square in the stomach. He coughed and fell to his knees. Angered, the other boys grabbed Naruto and began to hit him.

Naruto's eyes widen then dulled out. He took the beatings as the other students watched in horror. Shikamaru and Gaara came into the schoolyard surprised at the noise that was becoming increasingly louder. They got through the crowd to see Naruto on the ground with the four boys kicking him.

"Naruto!" Gaara tried getting through the crowd with Shikamaru, but they were held back. A few students mumbled that those boys were dangerous to get involved with. Gaara began to worry then turned to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru. I'm going to go look for Sasuke. Please keep an eye on Naruto." Shikamaru nodded and Gaara ran off.

One of the boys picked up Naruto and threw him into the fence. Naruto winced greatly as pain shot through his back. He coughed out a small bit of blood as he lay on the ground.

"What is this?" The boys snickered, coming around him. "You're so weak compared to last time. Heh. I tell you what." The boy knelt down next to Naruto getting close to his ear.

"What…" Naruto managed to spit out, but he remained motionless.

"I'll bring that little Hinata here and then give you a show. You can also have a piece of her if you want." The boy grinned. Naruto's eyes widened then closed as he gripped his hands tightly. With effort he got up slowly holding himself against the wall. "Ah, did that upset you?" The boy laughed as he got up then he lifted his leg up to kick.

Naruto reacted quickly. He dodged the kick and gave his own. The boy went flying into his friends into a tangled mess, but Naruto didn't give them a chance to retaliate. He raced over and picked two boys up swinging them together. One boy tried to escape, he didn't get far. Naruto grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him into the low concrete wall. He went out cold. The last boy looked to Naruto, scared. Then his eyes widened as he looked into Naruto's cold eyes. Naruto took a few steps toward him then stopped glaring down. He slowly began to reach for him, but stopped as his name was called.

Sasuke came running over and broke through the crowd. He grabbed a hold of Naruto and pulled him back. Naruto gripped his hands and continued to glare at the boy, but Sasuke grabbed a hold of his shoulders forcing him to look in his direction. He didn't like what he saw.

Naruto's eyes were now red instead of his natural gentle blue. Sasuke knew what this meant and it was definitely not a good thing. "Naruto! Snap out of it!" He shook Naruto who shook away from him and looked away. "Naruto come on… It's me Sasuke. I'm here; you don't need to fight anymore." Sasuke carefully took a step toward him. Naruto didn't move. Another step. No movement. One more step. A look toward Sasuke, eyes still a red but dying away.

Suddenly, Naruto was hit in the face and fell to the ground. Sasuke looked to his right quickly to see that the boy Naruto had tried to attack had hit him. Anger burned in Sasuke and he twirled around kicking the boy in the head sending him flying. Satisfied, he turned to Naruto and helped him to his feet. The red in his eyes was gone replaced by the gentle blue.

Naruto rubbed his head. "That hurt…"

"Yeah, are you hurt anywhere else?" Sasuke asked examining him. Gaara and Shikamaru came over and knelt down.

"Naruto… Why did they attack you?" Gaara picked up Naruto's bag handing it to him.

"Err… well they…"

"What is going on here?" Someone shouted and suddenly a couple of teachers appeared. Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened as they looked around. This looked bad. Two boys were unconscious against the walls while the other two were not moving anymore. "What have you boys done?"

"I can explain that!" Naruto winced as he tried to stand.

"Yes. I'm sure you can, to the Principal." The teachers grabbed Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Shikamaru.

"Wait! Shikamaru and Gaara," Naruto pointed to them as he said their names, "weren't involved in this at all. They only were concerned if I was hurt, and Sasuke was only protecting me when that boy hit me." Naruto tried to explain to the teacher. The teacher gave a frown then nodded. Shikamaru and Gaara were let go, but Sasuke wasn't.

"C'mon, you two are heading to the Principal." The teacher pushed Naruto and Sasuke toward the building while the other teachers went to the hurt boys. Naruto glanced back giving a frown.

_Serves them right even if I am getting in trouble. They'll think triple before doing anything again._

-oO0-o)

Naruto and Sasuke stared blankly at the wall in front of them. They were sitting outside of the Principal's office waiting for their guardians to come in. Those guardians were going to be Minato and Itachi. They gave a groan together knowing how much trouble they were going to be in. Minato would have to be called from work while Itachi would be pulled from college. Neither of them would be very pleased about that.

Naruto hung his head placing it in his hands. "I'm sorry Sasuke." Sasuke glanced at Naruto then gently patted his back.

"No… it's okay Naruto, and I'm sorry. I should have been there to stop you."

"Meh…" Naruto brought his head up with a sad expression upon his face. Sasuke tried to smile, but it didn't work to help lift Naruto's mood.

"So… Naruto why did they attack you?" Sasuke asked what Gaara tried asking. Naruto leaned back against his chair staring at the ceiling.

"Is it alright if I tell you later?"

"Yeah." Naruto closed his eyes and prepared to sleep, but didn't get the chance. Sasuke nudged him in the side making him look up to see his father and Sasuke's brother. "Oh no…"

Minato came over with a frown on his face. Itachi shook his head at the boys and went past them into the Principal's office. Minato stared at Naruto before heading in as well. Naruto and Sasuke looked after them as the door shut. Naruto slumped in his chair groaning again.

_This day couldn't get any worse now could it? Wait! Thinking that and it will…_ Naruto gave a sigh and waited impatiently.

Soon, Naruto and Sasuke were called into the office. They sat down next to Itachi keeping their eyes on the Principal. The Principal had long, spiky white hair making him seem like he was in his fifties. From his eyes were two red, long lines that went down his cheeks. He stared at Sasuke and Naruto for a few moments before turning to Minato and Itachi.

"Minato-san, Itachi-san. The usual punishment for this is expulsion," Naruto and Sasuke gulped, "but seeing as they have only been here for a few weeks I am considering just ISS."

"In school suspension." Minato glanced at Naruto. "How long, Jiraiya-sama?" Naruto bit his lip and didn't dare catch his father's eye.

"Mmm…" Jiraiya rubbed his face leaning back some in his chair taking a look at Naruto and Sasuke. "One week, this week. It'll start tomorrow."

"I see that as acceptable, don't you Minato?" Itachi looked to Minato. Minato nodded in response.

"Yes that'll work. For now I want you to take your boys home. There are enough problems already." Jiraiya stood up making everyone else as well. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun. You will come in tomorrow to my office at 7 a.m., do you understand?"

"Yes, Jiraiya-sama." Naruto and Sasuke both bowed their heads.

"Then you are dismissed." Jiraiya sat down and Minato and Itachi led the boys out of the office. The four walked down the hall in silence until they got outside.

Itachi stopped in front of Sasuke and Naruto with a frown. "Who started this?" They both remained silent. "Well?"

"I did." Naruto spoke up giving a glare at Sasuke who was about to speak up himself. Naruto looked back to Itachi standing up straight. "It was self-defense."

"Was it?"

"They attacked me first. They were holding a grudge against me for something I did a couple of weeks ago. I swear I was only protecting myself…"

Itachi gave a look then turned to Minato who came up and knelt in front of Naruto. "Naruto. Why did you keep attacking them? If it was self-defense they would have not been as hurt as I was told." Naruto looked away from his father not wanting to answer. "You can either tell me now, or later."

"It was something they said. It pissed me off." Naruto walked past his father and Itachi heading out of the gates. Sasuke followed after Naruto giving a sigh. Itachi and Minato looked at each before following after.

-oO0-o)

Naruto walked into his home and shut the door while Itachi led Sasuke into their house. Sasuke looked up at Itachi then started to head to his room, but was pulled back.

"Sasuke. Can I talk to about what happened?"

"Do we have to?" Sasuke frowned crossing his arms. Itachi gave him a stern look. "Alright, fine. What do you want to know?" Itachi let Sasuke go then he sat down indication for Sasuke to do the same. Sasuke sat placing his bag on the chair.

"How did it start?"

"I'm not sure. I left Naruto to head into class. He was tired from wrapping a gift and doing homework."

"Do you know who those boys were?"

"Not a clue. Naruto promised to tell me later."

"If you weren't there, Sasuke, how did you manage to get in trouble as well?"

Sasuke sighed and leaned backwards. "When I came out, the brawl was practically over and Naruto was about to… beat the living hell out of the last boy. I stopped him and he was calming down, but then that boy hit Naruto, and well… I reacted." Itachi sighed and shook his head.

"Did anything else happen?"

"…_That_ happened." Itachi's eyes widened then he sighed again. "Yeah, I know. It's showing up again…" Sasuke got up grabbing his bag.

"Tell me what happened after you're finished talking with him." Itachi commanded getting up as well. "I'll make you some food if you're hungry."

"No, not now Itachi. Maybe in a few hours. Don't you have class to get to?"

"I explained where I was going. The teacher excused me for the rest of the day." Sasuke gave a small nod then headed into his room. He threw his bag onto his bed then pulled out his cell phone dialing Naruto's number. It rang for awhile then went to voicemail.

_Naruto is talking with his mother. I'll wait for him to call me back._ Sasuke hung up without leaving a message then pulled out his books. He reached over to his bedside table to grab a pencil, and in result knocked over a picture in a frame. He stopped mid-reach looking down at the picture. It was of him, Naruto and a girl with pink hair. They were about 10 years old in the picture. All three of them were on top of each other with smiles on their faces.

Sasuke grabbed the picture and stared at it. A smile came to his face when he began to remember it. _Itachi took this picture. Out of everyone in our family, Itachi was the only one that knew Naruto and I had a friend._ Sasuke's smile turned into a frown when he couldn't remember the girl's name then it struck him. _Sakura._ Her hair was like that of cherry blossom trees and those trees were called Sakura. He smiled again placing the picture down as his phone rang. It was Naruto. He answered and laid back onto his bed.

"Sasuke! My mom has said no games or manga for the entire week!" Naruto groaned the second Sasuke answered.

"Naruto, is that what you do instead of homework?" Sasuke accused him instead of being sympathetic.

"Err. No." Naruto sheepishly laughed then gave a light sigh.

"So what really happened to make those boys attack you?"

"Well…" Naruto paused. Sasuke heard him move on the bed most likely getting into a better position. "Remember that day where I was in a bad mood cause of that dog boy?"

"Yeah? You went into Konoha City to cool your head."

"Yeah! And I got this awesome frog coin pouch. It's green and I think I'm going to call it Gama-chan-"

"Naruto, you're getting off subject." Sasuke interrupted giving a roll of his eyes.

"Ha… sorry Sasuke." Naruto cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway… I ended up in the Estates District where the wealthier people live, and when I was trying to leave I heard this girl's desperate screams. I followed to where it was and it was those four boys. They were trying to assault Hinata-chan!"

"Wait, who's that Naruto?"

"Oh, uh. I think that's the girl that was with… um… err… Neji Hyuuga. They might be related, but I don't know."

"Oh, alright, continue."

"Well I couldn't let them hurt Hinata-chan, could I? At that time I didn't know her name or who she was, but that didn't matter to me. I attacked them, got her out of there, and then I took her home. They were upset that I interrupted their assault, and decided to take revenge on me. They mustn't have known I went to Kitsune High cause they didn't know who I was at first. And Sasuke I swear. They struck first, I didn't. I took quite a bit of a beating before I attacked back." Naruto took a deep breath then went silent.

Sasuke sat up and switched the cell to his other ear. "I suppose the school won't see it as self-defense since you beat them up so much."

"Yeah… Sorry I got you involved."

"I got myself involved Naruto, so don't apologize… But Naruto… you turned." Sasuke hadn't wanted to bring it up, but he needed to. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few moments before Naruto responded.

"I… am not going to apologize for that."

"Naruto!"

"No, Sasuke. They deserve what they got for what they were trying to do to Hinata-chan. I turned because he dare say he was going to do it again, even offer for me to do it to her! I will not tolerate that kind of attitude…" Naruto closed his mouth and remained quiet. Sasuke took a slow breath before going silent himself. Both boys remained on the phone and didn't utter a word. Eventually, Sasuke heard Kushina's voice in the background. "I got to go Sasuke. Mom's calling for me. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that Naruto hung up. Sasuke looked at his phone before placing it down.

After a few moments there was a knock on the door. Itachi came in and sat on the bed. "So?"

"I assume you were half-way listening." Sasuke glared at him.

"Only a little." Itachi gave him a smile making Sasuke sigh then Sasuke explained to Itachi what happened. "Mmm… is that so? Well I can understand why Naruto would do that. He's turned for no reason before, just be glad he did it for a reason."

"I'm not glad he did it at all. I'm worried, Itachi… What if he gets into something he won't be able to get out of?" Sasuke looked at Itachi biting his lip. Itachi blinked at him then smiled softly.

"That's what you're for, yes?" Sasuke blinked at that response then gave a small smile and a nod. Itachi ruffled his hair before getting up. "I have homework, so I'll leave you be… little brother." Sasuke twitched as Itachi left the room laughing. Mumbling, he grabbed his pencil and began to work on his own homework.

-oO0-o)

**Next day. 7 o'clock in the morning.**

Naruto stared at the door that led into the Principal's office. Sasuke was standing next to him with a blank look on his face. They had no desire to enter, but knew they were going to have to. Taking a deep breath Naruto knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Naruto opened the door and went inside with Sasuke. They sat down and looked to Jiraiya who was looking down at papers. He looked up and gave a smile. "Ah, looks like you two have arrived. Here." He handed each of them papers. Naruto read over his quickly with a frown.

"This is to give to our teachers?" Sasuke asked looking to Jiraiya. He nodded to him. "So… we're not going to be in any of our classes this week, are we?"

"No, you are not. Now I want you to go to your teachers then come back to me once you have your work done. I'll have someone show you to the detention room where Ibiki is waiting for your arrival." Jiraiya looked back to his papers showing he was finished talking to them. Sasuke and Naruto hung their heads then left the room and headed to Obito first.

Sasuke slowly stuck his head into the room when they arrived to see if his cousin was there while Naruto peeked from behind looking back and forth. There was no one inside, but the lights were on. The boys looked to each thinking the same thing; let's just come back. As they turned around to leave they froze and slowly looked up to see Obito blinking down at them.

"What are you boys doing here? Miss me?" Obito asked them with a smile. Sasuke turned his head away with a frown and Naruto gave him a sour expression. "Ah… I'm guessing that's a no. What's the paper for?" He went past them into the room. Sasuke took a glance at Naruto before walking into the room.

"We need you to sign it and give us work." Sasuke handed the paper to his cousin as did Naruto. Obito looked over it frowning before turning to the boys.

"You guys got into a fight?"

"Correction," Naruto leaned onto the desk. "I got into a fight, Sasuke tried to stop me thus getting him in trouble as well." Obito sighed shaking his head then went to the papers.

"We're not doing much right now except reading through the rest of chapter 4. Do the review questions at the end of each section. I'll be here until 5 Friday, so just drop them in." Naruto and Sasuke both nodded to Obito before turning to leave. "Oh, don't argue with Ibiki… He's not mean, but he's strict, okay?"

"Thanks Cousin Obito… We'll keep that in mind." Sasuke waved and shut the door then with Naruto they headed to their other teachers.

-oO0-o)

Naruto stared up at the bald man that stood in front of him. He and Sasuke had been shown were the detention room was, and were now looking at the detention officer. He was fairly tall and had a cap over his head. There were two scars along his face and cheek that made him look a bit frightening. He turned to look at Naruto and Sasuke giving them a blank stare.

"So… um…" Naruto began, although he was a little bit scared to go on with his sentence.

"My name is Ibiki Morino. You can just call me Ibiki or Morino. Whichever you prefer. All you need to do is sit there, and not be a disturbance. I don't care if you talk, but you better be doing something. Now give me your cell phones." Ibiki placed his hand out. Naruto raised an eyebrow but pulled out his cell phone, turned it off, and gave it to Ibiki. Sasuke did the same then went and sat down. Naruto stared at Ibiki for a few more seconds before coming next to Sasuke. Afraid Ibiki would do something Naruto quickly took out his homework and began to work on it.

Ibiki watched the boys for a few moments before sitting down and pulling out a book. He rested his feet on the desk in front of himself then ignored all that was around him.

A couple of hours past and Naruto and Sasuke had not spoken a word. They acted as if each other were not in the room and only worked on their schoolwork. Eventually, Naruto looked up at the clock giving a frown. It was almost noon, and his stomach was slowly beginning to growl. Sasuke looked up and at Naruto when it got louder and gave a smirk. Naruto blushed in embarrassment then cleared his throat in hopes to get Ibiki's attention. It didn't work.

Naruto sighed. "Um… Ibiki?" Ibiki looked from his book giving Naruto a blank stare. "Do… we… uh get lunch?"

"…. You've been quiet, so I suppose so, but you have to come straight back here. I'll give you ten minutes to go get food and come back. And if you don't come back…" Ibiki gave a threatening glare before going back to his book and ignoring them. Naruto shivered biting his lip before looking to Sasuke.

"You coming?"

"Bring me back something." Sasuke took out his wallet and a few dollars. "As long as it ISN'T ramen." Naruto grinned taking the money. He bent down rummaging through his bag bringing out his own wallet before leaving.

First lunch had gone back to their classrooms and now there was 20 minutes until second lunch would start. Naruto hurried through the hallways toward the lunchroom. He hoped that they would still be open to serve.

As he came to the doors he peeked inside. The windows to order food were closed making Naruto frown. "Now what?" He asked aloud to no one.

"You're still in ISS, right?"

"Yup… WAIT, WHO?" Naruto turned around to see Kakashi standing behind him with a tray of food.

"Here." Kakashi grabbed Naruto and dragged him into an open doorway that was next to the cafeteria. Naruto blinked several times as was he brought into the room. It was a miniature lunchroom with a few tables and a counter to order food. Kakashi brought Naruto over to the counter. "People from ISS can order here."

Naruto stared at Kakashi with gratitude then turned and ordered ramen and pizza with fries. Then he ordered two sodas and a large candy bar. Kakashi watched as Naruto paid for the food then began to carry all of it. He sweat dropped as Naruto almost dropped his food.

"Naruto-kun, hold on for a moment." Naruto stopped and looked to Kakashi as he grabbed a tray and placed it on a table. "Use this. You can leave it in the ISS room, and then use it for back and forth use for the entire week."

"Okay! Thanks Kakashi-sensei." Naruto placed the food down and lifted up the tray. He smiled to Kakashi before heading back to the ISS room. As he entered the room Ibiki gave him a look that Naruto tried smiling to but failed. He looked down going over to Sasuke. "Here, I hope this will do."

Sasuke looked at his food and nodded. "Yeah, that's good." Satisfied, Naruto and Sasuke began to eat, and then after they began to work again.

A few hours later school ended. They looked to Ibiki who stared back at them.

"You can go. Be in here by the time school starts or I will have security look for you." And with that Ibiki pointed out the room. The boys shuffled out with worried expressions on their faces then they relaxed once away.

"Maa! They really are serious about ISS, aren't they?" Naruto groaned as they began to walk home. "I mean send security after us if we aren't in there? That's strict." Sasuke only gave a nod; his mind was elsewhere. Naruto cocked his head at Sasuke then looked to the sky. If Sasuke wanted to share his thoughts, he would. Naruto wasn't about to pester him about it.

Soon, they arrived home and went their separate ways. Sasuke did a quick wave before going into the house and into his room. He placed his bag onto the ground and picked up the picture he was messing with the night before. For some reason this had been on his mind all day after he saw a cherry blossom tree in one of his books. The girl, Sakura, had been on his mind the entire time, but he only saw her as a child. There was something about it that he felt like he forgot, and it was annoying him very much that he could not pinpoint what that was.

He sat on his bed and stared at the picture trying to remember what had been forgotten. Nothing came to mind and eventually he groaned loudly hitting his face with the picture. He stayed like that even when his door opened. His ever so curious brother came in. Itachi had a look of concern on his face as he came up to Sasuke.

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke mumbled around the picture. Itachi lifted up an eyebrow then took the picture. "HEY!"

"Oh? I didn't know you still kept this around. This is of you, Naruto, and the little girl Sakura-chan when we lived in Oto." Itachi smiled and sat down next to Sasuke giving him the picture.

Sasuke looked to him then back to the picture. "How do you manage to always pop in when I'm frustrated?"

Itachi laughed. "Isn't that what big brothers are for?"

"Oh, I thought they were there to use as a prop." A grin appeared on Sasuke face making Itachi roll his eyes. "So… how much do you know about this?" Sasuke pointed to the picture.

"Well I do remember you used to always go to her house whenever you could. Before we moved, I took this picture then printed it for all of you. Each of you has a different colored frame. You have this blue one, Naruto has an orange one, and Sakura-chan has a pink one. That is, of course, assuming you all kept the pictures. As far as I know… she was your only friend besides Naruto, but that's about as much as I know."

"I see…" Sasuke continued to stare at the girl still feeling as if what he wanted to remember was forgotten. Soon, Itachi left Sasuke to his thinking going to prepare dinner. Sasuke flopped back on his bed and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath he concentrated in hopes of finding the memory he wanted.

…_Sasuke-kun. Find me…_

-oO0-o)

**September 26th, Wednesday.**

"Naruto. Do you remember the little, pink haired girl we used to play with in Oto?" Naruto blinked at Sasuke. They were in ISS and this had been the first time Sasuke had told Naruto his thoughts.

Naruto frowned thinking slowly then gave a small shake of his head, but as he did that the girl popped into his mind. "OH, wait, yeah. I remember her. Her name was…. Um… Sakura-chan wasn't it?" Sasuke gave a nod with a smile. "What about her?"

"Remember the first time we met her?"

"…Heh, yeah. I do actually. It was playtime at school, and you had just gotten me out of a fight…"

-oO0)

"_**Naruto! Are you sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked as he helped his friend to his feet. **_

_**Naruto brushed himself off and gave a quick smile to Sasuke. "YUP!" He had a few bruises but was otherwise unhurt. Sasuke sighed relief then punched his arm.**_

"_**Idiot! That wasn't smart."**_

"_**I beat them, didn't I?"**_

"_**With my help!"**_

"_**I could have-"**_

"_**UGLY GIRL!" Sasuke and Naruto looked up and blinked slowly. Another insult was thrown out and a small cry followed after as if someone had been hurt. The boys looked to each other then raced toward the noise.**_

_**They found it. In the school gardens under a cherry blossom tree was a group of girls. Those girls were surrounding a small girl with short pink hair. They were pulling on it left and right, and laughing as they did so. The girl was crying and looked at the point of giving up until Naruto and Sasuke stepped forward.**_

"_**Stop it!" They shouted. The girls turned quickly looking at them. At first they were hesitant to leave, but some of the girls liked Sasuke. Finally, they let the girl go and raced off. Sasuke and Naruto watched after them before helping the girl to her feet. They smiled and started to brush her off.**_

"_**Eh… you… you aren't going to… t-tease me?" The pink haired girl asked with tears flowing down her cheeks.**_

_**Sasuke looked at her and tilted her head. "Why would we do that?"**_

"_**YEAH! That's mean to tease a girl, especially cute ones." Naruto grinned agreeing. The girl blushed and gave a small smile.**_

"_**I'm Sasuke by the way."**_

"_**And I'm Naruto!"**_

_**The girl looked between them. "S-Sasuke-kun… N-Naruto-kun?"**_

"_**Yup! That's right!" Naruto smiled. "But you can just call me Naruto." Sasuke punched Naruto's arm rolling his eyes then Sasuke placed his hand out to the girl.**_

"_**What's your name?"**_

"…_**S-Sakura…" She responded shyly. She saw his hand then gently took it with a blush still on her cheeks.**_

"_**That's a pretty name!" Sasuke gently pulled her along with Naruto next to them. "Just like the cherry blossom trees!"**_

"_**Ah! Oh… n-no… I'm not that pretty." Sakura looked away timidly. Sasuke and Naruto laughed and patted her head in reassurance. They took Sakura and led her to the playground.**_

"_**Let's be friends, Sakura-chan!" Sasuke and Naruto said at the same time. She looked to them then hugged them making them blush this time.**_

_**A tear ran down her cheek as she clenched onto them. "Thank you… thank you!"**_

_**-oO0)**_

"_**Eeeeeh! You aren't allowed to leave your house?" Naruto shouted throwing up his hands. Sakura nodded. "Why nooooot?"**_

"_**Ah… well… my mom doesn't want me to. It's because of all the other kids out there that… pick on me…" Sakura looked down sad. Sasuke gave a thought then smiled brightly.**_

"_**I know! My Nii-san can bring me and Naruto to your house to play then! That way you won't have to leave and we can still see you."**_

"_**Eh? R-really? You'd do that for me?" Sakura blinked in surprise. Sasuke smiled and Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "Thank you Sasuke-kun! Naruto!"**_

"_**You're welcome Sakura-chan! Now come on, let's go play!" Sasuke grinned. "And the game is…TAG!" Sasuke pushed Naruto over indicating he was it then he grabbed Sakura's hand fleeing. Naruto growled chasing after them.**_

_**-oO0)**_

_**Sakura stared at Sasuke with unbelieving eyes. Naruto was gone as he had gotten sick staying at home. "Your… parents are dead?"**_

_**Sasuke nodded. "They died during summer. They were on their way home from a business trip… Their car crashed on the way here…" Sasuke brought his knees up and buried his face in them. "Nii-san and I went to the hospital where they were dying. I couldn't believe what was going on, so Nii-san made me wait as he checked on them."**_

_**Sakura placed a hand on Sasuke's back and gently rubbed. "I'm so sorry…"**_

_**Sasuke took a deep breath. "No, don't apologize." After a moment he sat properly and looked to Sakura. "That's when Naruto came to me. He was in the hospital as well His grandfather was dying. He told me that my parents would always be in my heart. It was of a great comfort to me more than I realized. When Itachi came to get me I wanted Naruto to come along. He agreed making me feel less afraid to see my parents.….. I got to say goodbye to my parents and Naruto stayed with me the entire time. From that day he's always been my friend." Sasuke gave a small smile then looked to the sky.**_

"_**Naruto… is very kind."**_

"_**Mmhmm! I don't know why everyone has to pick on him! If Naruto hadn't been there I would have never been able to recover… and meet you, Sakura-chan." Sasuke smiled at Sakura making her blush deeply as she looked away.**_

"_**Hehe…I'm glad to have met you as well, Sasuke-kun."**_

_**-oO0)**_

_**Naruto and Sasuke stood on the doorstep to Sakura's house. Itachi was behind them blinking slowly. All four of them had sad expressions on their faces.**_

"_**Y…You're moving?" It was Sasuke who spoke first. Sakura gave a nod not looking to them. "Why?"**_

"_**My… parents don't like it here. They want to move to a city with more e…econ…" Sakura bit her lip as she tried to pronounce the word her parents told her.**_

"_**Economy." Itachi produced for her. She nodded. "I can understand that…"**_

_**Naruto and Sasuke looked up to Itachi giving him a look then Naruto asked, "what's eh-con-uh-mee?"**_

"_**Uh…um… well when people move to a city… the living and the ability to buy things are usually better than countries like Oto." Itachi tried to explain it to where the children could understand. Naruto gave him this look still not understanding. "Just… think of it where you could buy much more ramen than here."**_

"_**AH! REALLY? That's awesome!" Naruto grinned then looked to Sakura sad. "But I don't want you to leave."**_

"_**I… don't either. I… I won't be able to see you again…" Sakura began to cry making the boys become even sadder. Sasuke stared at her face helplessly then grabbed her hands making her look at him.**_

"_**Sakura-chan. We'll see each other again, right Naruto?" Sasuke asked Naruto smiling.**_

"_**Yeah! And… When we get older we promise to come and find you! We'll be together again!" Naruto gave her a cheerful smile grabbing her hands as well. She looked between the boys then hugged him.**_

"_**Thank you…I'll wait for that day."**_

"_**As I interrupt this, I have an idea. Let's take a picture." Itachi suggested holding up a camera. "Then we can put them in frames and you guys can always have a picture of each other."**_

"_**YEAH!" They three shouted to each other at the same time. They ran into the gardens giggling and holding hands, but then suddenly they tripped and fell on top of each other.**_

"_**Stay like that, it's perfect." Itachi grinned and they all smiled as he took the picture then they all rolled around the fallen leaves continuing to play.**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

By the way, if you haven't figured it out by now the year is 2012.

Sasuke's and Naruto's meeting will be told in Chapter 8.

_**Thank you very much for your support and comments! They fuel me to write very much. ^^**_


	6. Birthdays

_I am terribly sorry. This is severely overdue. Many things have happened since I began writing this chapter in April. I lost interest in Naruto for awhile, but have recently gotten back to it. /bow. _

_I realize, after rereading through the story, I have made many grammatical errors. It also appears to be that I am quite inconsistent sometimes, too. I have gone and fixed many of those problems. A few changes are how Gaara used honorifics, and Obito-sensei changing to Obito for written words._

_I will be more careful in the future to not make those mistakes again._

_Please enjoy!_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**September 28th, Friday.**

Naruto and Sasuke were at attention with Ibiki staring down at them. Naruto and even Sasuke had been sleeping in ISS due to staying up late to do a project. They were now in trouble for this. Ibiki didn't mind anything that they did AS long as they didn't sleep, which they had failed to remember.

"This is your last day…" Ibiki began making Naruto and Sasuke gulp. "If you hadn't behaved so well I would have made you stay another day!"

"We're sorry, Sir! It will not happen again if we are ever in vicinity of being in the ISS room, Sir!" Naruto felt as if he was in the army and needed to address Ibiki with respect. Sasuke kept quiet keeping his eyes on Ibiki. He looked them over back and forth before sighing greatly and pointing out the door.

"Leave and never come back. Dismissed."

"Sir!" Sasuke and Naruto quickly grabbed their things and rushed on out. School wasn't out yet, but since Ibiki said they could go they assumed they could leave. As soon as they exited the building they looked to each and burst out laughing. Eventually, they sat down as the gate wouldn't open till the bell rang, but they didn't really care.

"Did… you see that?" Naruto asked through a laugh. "We were scared out of our wits!"

"Yeah! That… was ridiculous!" Sasuke grabbed his stomach as it was now hurting from the laughter. "Let's… never go back there again…"

"Only if… I don't get into more fights."

"Psh, we're definitely going back then." They laughed again and then settled down. They leaned back and stared up at the sky feeling a nice breeze blow past them. October was just around the corner, but the air was still fairly warm. Soon, they completely relaxed and felt at ease… until the bell made them jump. Naruto flew up and looked around until he realized it had just been the release bell. He took a deep breath and shook his head then noticed the gates were opening.

"Yes, we can leave now, but oh! I forgot…" Naruto shuffled through his bag and pulled out a wrapped box. "I never got a chance to give this to Shikamaru since we were always forced to stay after school longer."

"Guess we better wait, hmm?" Sasuke remained sitting as he watched Naruto look back and forth through the crowd of students. Eventually, Shikamaru, with a chubby boy, and Gaara came walking out. Naruto quickly ran over to them gesturing over to Sasuke. They walked up and Naruto handed the gift to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru lifted up an eyebrow. "Um… Naruto?"

"For your birthday!"

"Ah… Naruto really, this isn't necessary…"

"Open it." Naruto gave a stare at Shikamaru and he frowned greatly then sighed and unwrapped it. He blinked several times and titled it back and forth.

"It's…huh. Heh, Naruto it's a box of many different complicated puzzles. Probably one of the hardest out there." Shikamaru smiled and looked to Naruto. Naruto looked away embarrassingly then they all started to walk.

"So who's your friend?" Naruto asked looking to the chubby boy.

"My name is Choji Akimichi! I'm Shikamaru's childhood friend."

"Really? Sweet! Can Sasuke and I be your friend as well?" Choji looked overjoyed and nodded quickly. There was a smile on Shikamaru's face, but it was definitely not from the gift he had gotten. All five boys began chatting as they were all heading in the same direction to get home. Gaara still continued to stay at Shikamaru's place since he was still going to stay in Konoha.

"Temari and Kankuro are coming next week." Gaara spoke up as the group neared the street he, Shikamaru, and Choji usually took to get home. Naruto looked over with a smile on his face. "Kankuro is going to be a Sophomore while Temari is going to be Junior."

"She's two years older than us?" Sasuke asked as he adjusted his side bag. Gaara gave a nod. "I got that feeling from her." He mumbled remembering how Temari had acted during the stay in Suna.

Shikamaru gave a sigh and stopped. "Great, I get to have the violent girl in my house." Gaara gave an understanding smile while Naruto tried not to laugh. "How troublesome…" Choji smiled encouragingly as he munched on a bag of chips.

"You can handle it, Shikamaru!" Naruto patted Shikamaru's back encouragingly. Shikamaru grunted in reply. "Anyway, catch you guys later!" Naruto waved to Gaara, Shikamaru, and Choji as he and Sasuke ran down the street.

Sasuke grinned at Naruto then quickened his pace. Naruto frowned then understood and quickened his pace as well. Both boys began to run faster trying to get home first, but as they rounded the corner both of them came to a halt right before almost running into Itachi. Itachi stared at them with wide eyes as he stared down at the two boys who were inches from him. He gave them a long stare before rubbing the back of his head in a sigh.

"What are you two doing?" Itachi asked taking a step backwards. Sasuke and Naruto were breathing quickly and took a few moments before answer.

Sasuke answered first. "We were having a race."

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed. "And I was gonna win if you hadn't been here!"

"What?" Sasuke turned on Naruto giving him a smirk. "You, win? Hardly! I was in the lead!"

Naruto turned on Sasuke and glared. "No way! I was definitely ahead."

"Ha! You're about out of breath compared to me!"

"Sasuke, you don't have my stamina! So I was definitely going to win."

Itachi stared as the two boys began to bicker. He gave another sigh with a smile on his face. He was glad to see that Sasuke and Naruto were getting along, especially the fact of what happened to Naruto when he turned. To Itachi, it seemed like during the week that had been on Sasuke's mind though he never confined in Itachi if that was true or not. Itachi frowned thinking what would happen if Sasuke hadn't been there. Naruto might have even…

Suddenly, Sasuke and Naruto charged around Itachi racing towards the house. Itachi turned and rolled his eyes at them. He then looked up at the sky placing his hands in his pockets.

"I need not think of such things… It will get better."

**Next day, Saturday.**

Sasuke was curled up in his bed sleeping. He was mumbling to himself until suddenly he felt a thump land hard on his stomach. "GAH!" He shot straight up to see a pair of two blue eyes staring at him. "Naruto…" He growled slowly as he shoved Naruto off the bed.

"Whoa! Sasuke, that wasn't nice." Naruto pouted as he got to his feet.

Sasuke turned on him glaring. "Not nice? Jumping on me wasn't nice! What are you doing in here disturbing my sleep anyway, Naruto?"

"Oh, oh, oh! I wanted you to get up so we could go explore Konoha! C'mon! It'll be greaaaaat." Naruto grinned. Last time, they had only gone to the mall to find a present for Shikamaru.

Sasuke gave Naruto a blank look then turned to his clock. 7:15 a.m. Sasuke raised an eyebrow then sighed. _He's never up this early. Not even for school. Well, whatever. He's in a good mood and that's enough._ "Alright, Naruto, but could you get out of my room then?"

"Roger!"

-oO0-o)

Sasuke and Naruto headed out of the Uchiha house waving goodbye to Itachi. They headed towards the main part of the city walking past the school. They chatted a little bit, but mostly kept quiet and observed the city as they walked. Soon, they came into the busy part of the city although there weren't many people out at this hour. Many stores and businesses crossed their paths, and a couple of times they went inside and window shopped.

Unexpectedly, they came to a stop in front of the Uchiha Police Force of Konoha office building. Sasuke stared up at the UPFK building giving a smile at the police force that his family had created. Everyone inside of the building was part of the Uchiha clan, and they all did their jobs to the utmost care. Naruto grinned at Sasuke and leaned on him as he stared up at the building as well. As Sasuke and Naruto stared at the UPFK, Naruto noticed that Sasuke began to look sad.

_Thinking about his parents I bet._ Naruto thought giving a sad smile. _Can't be helped, after all his father was chief…_

"Sasuke? Naruto?" A familiar voice made both boys jump and turn around. There behind them was Obito in his UPFK uniform. Sasuke blinked. It was the first time he had seen Obito in that uniform.

"Hey, Cousin Obito," Sasuke began, "how are things going?" Sasuke's voice was unusually kind sounding, which was rare to hear towards his cousin. Obito was a bit taken back, but recovered quickly.

"I'm good, Sasuke, just coming in for work." Obito replied smiling.

"How's that going? Working at the school and UPFK?"

"Hmm… So far I've only had to leave class twice out of the two months of school. Otherwise, Monday through Thursday I'm only at school until first lunch hour while on Friday I'm there all day."

"So you only work half a day at school?" Naruto piped in giving a curious look at Obito.

"That's right. I also work on Saturday, but I have Sunday off. I'm a full-time officer, so I only have one or two days off." Obito yawned and stretched. "And tomorrow I gotta use that time to do more schoolwork. I usually do that Friday after my classes, but I didn't get a chance."

Sasuke looked down biting his lip. He didn't realize how hard his cousin worked. He knew that their relationship wasn't that great, but it wasn't bad either. Most of the time Sasuke ignoring him was all in good nature, but Sasuke knew he should be kinder. He really looked up to his cousin.

"Cousin Obito?" Sasuke muttered still looking at the ground. Obito turned to Sasuke tilted his head to the side.

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"On a day when you're not busy… Can Itachi, you, and I… spend a day together?" Sasuke slowly looked up towards his cousin with a smile.

Obito was astonished, but gave a smile back and lightly rubbed Sasuke's head. "Sure, Sasuke, I'd love to do that." Obito began to walk past them and towards the UPFK building. "I have to go to work now, so see you later boys. Oh, and Naruto. Around the corner at the end of the block there's a special place you'll love!" And with that Obito entered the building.

Sasuke smiled after him feeling quite happy then turned to Naruto and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Let's go, Naruto." Naruto grinned and nodded enthusiastically.

"Right!"

-oO0-o)

"Hey, hey… Where is this place Obito was talking about again?" Naruto asked with his head hanging down. He was very hungry and walking slow because of it.

"Right there, Naruto." Sasuke pointed toward the end of the block. Naruto looked up and stared then his eyes widened. "I'm not really sure what kind of place he thinks you'll…" Sasuke frowned. Naruto was running ahead a full speed towards the end of the block. Sasuke didn't get to finish his sentence and he only sighed in response as he followed Naruto at a slower place. _Thought you were too hungry to move._

Sasuke watched as Naruto stopped and stared with the most excited face he had seen Naruto in a long time. Naruto waved excitedly at Sasuke and disappeared inside the wall, or what Sasuke thought was a wall. Sasuke quickened his pace to stand in front of where Naruto disappeared. Sasuke's eye twitched when he realized where Obito had led them.

There were six flaps that covered the entrance about from head to collarbone. It read: "Ichiraku Ramen". Sasuke looked down to see that it was an open stall restaurant. Beyond the flaps were many tall stools stuck in the ground. Sasuke counted to see that there were about six stools in total, and Naruto was in one of the center ones. Sasuke sighed greatly and entered sitting next to Naruto.

Naruto grinned widely at Sasuke as he entered. Naruto was rubbing his hands together and licking his lips. He had already ordered two bowls; one for himself and one for Sasuke. Naruto looked behind the counter at the old man as he was cooking the noodles. Next to him was a young lady whom Naruto assumed to be his daughter. Soon, two bowls of ramen were placed in front of Sasuke and Naruto.

"Thank you!" Naruto said gratefully as he took a pair of chopsticks from a cup holder. Sasuke did the same saying his own thanks. The old man smiled waiting patiently for the boys to try the food. Naruto broke apart his chopsticks and dived in. An expression of pure satisfaction crossed his face as he began to slurp up the noodles. "AH! This has to be the best ramen I have ever eaten in my entire life!"

"Aha! Thank you, boy!" The old man nodded, pleased to be praised.

"I'm going to eat here a lot more often!"

"I'll be glad to have you. What's your name?"

"Naruto Namikaze!"

"Nice to meet you, Naruto-kun." The old man shook Naruto's hand then turned to Sasuke. "Do you like it?"

Sasuke was eating his much slower than Naruto's; he stopped eating to look at the old man and gave a nod. "Yes, it is very good."

"Good!"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke shook the old man's hand then went back to his food.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun, come anytime you wish!"

-oO0-o)

The day had finally come to an end and Naruto and Sasuke were at home. Sasuke waved to Naruto as he entered his house. Naruto opened the door to his house and stretched as he placed his light sweater on a rack.

"Welcome home, Naruto." Naruto's mother smiled as Naruto entered the living room.

"Mom! I have to tell you… I just found the best ramen place ever!"

"Oh? Do tell!" Naruto raced over to the couch and sat down next to his mother explaining about Ichiraku Ramen, and all the things that he and Sasuke did that day. Kushina listened happily that Naruto could find something he enjoyed.

"I wish I could have stopped by Dad's workplace and told him all about it." Naruto sighed cheerfully as he rested his head on the back of the couch.

Kushina smiled then placed a finger up. "Oh, that reminds me, Naruto." Naruto turned towards his mother. "Your father says that he's going to lent one of the party rooms for your birthday."

"For… my birthday?" Naruto's eyes began to get wide. He had almost forgotten that his birthday was in about two weeks. "Really? What's it like?"

"You'll get to see on October 10th. Make sure to invite your friends, so they don't end up having plans on that day."

"Definitely will, Mom!"

"I'll make invitation cards." Kushina got up and brushed off her dress. Naruto stood up as well and hugged his mother. Kushina gladly hugged Naruto back rubbing his head.

-oO0-o)

**October 1st, Monday. Lunch hour.**

Naruto quickly ran to the lunch table that Shikamaru, Gaara, and Choji were at. He thrust invitation cards into their faces. Shikamaru frowned in responses as he took the card from Naruto giving Naruto a weird look. Gaara accepted it kindly and opened it giving a small smile.

"Your birthday, Naruto?" Gaara asked as he read the card.

Naruto nodded crossing his arms. "Yup! It's going to be a blast, and it's at Dad's building. It's going to happen on the weekend after my birthday since my birthday is on a weekday."

"Sounds like fun, Naruto-kun." Choji said through food. He swallowed and licked his lips. "Thanks for inviting me!"

"You're welcome." Naruto grinned then looked to Shikamaru expectantly.

Shikamaru sighed. "It's troublesome, but I'll come."

"Good…" Naruto was suddenly interrupted and pushed down to sit. "HEY! Who did that?" He asked as he looked up. Slowly, he blinked the placed up an invitation. "Kankuro! Come to my birthday party."

Kankuro stared at Naruto then gave a laugh as he turned around to look at Sasuke who had been talk to Kankuro. "This kid really isn't fazed by much, is he Sasuke?"

"Nope. It takes a good amount to phase…" Sasuke was interrupted by a happy birthday that came to the right of the table. All six boys looked up and towards a table that had almost the entire lunchroom crowded around. Voices started to sing:

"_Happy Birthday to You.  
Happy Birthday to You.  
Happy Birthday Dear Jugo.  
Happy Birthday to You._

_From good friends and true,  
From old friends and new,  
May good luck go with you,  
And happiness too."_

A bunch of clapping followed after. A tall boy with literally orange, spiky hair, which was even spikier than Naruto's, was bowing to the group of boys surrounding the table. A boy with short, white hair, about Sasuke's height, was next to him. He patted the taller boy's back and said a few words that could not be heard amongst the other voices.

Naruto stared over at the table blankly wondering who that was. Shikamaru understood and answered.

"That's Jugo, a Senior. He's very popular and well liked. Next to him is his best friend, Suigetsu Hozuki who's a Sophomore." Shikamaru yawned and took a sip of his soda.

"Tch… They must think they're so great, huh?" Naruto mumbled feeling discouraged suddenly. He gripped the invitation cards in his hand. _With a crowd like that… No one is going to come to my party._ Naruto stared blankly at the table.

Sasuke, seeing Naruto getting depressed, stood up and went to the lunch line. He came back and placed a bowl of ramen in front of Naruto's face. Naruto looked up at Sasuke then sat up straight.

"Here, it's on me." Sasuke smiled sitting down with his food. Naruto stared at the bowl of ramen then smiled as he began to eat it.

Kankuro sat down next to Gaara then the boys began to converse ignoring the group behind them.

-oO0-o)

"Ooh? You're a puppeteer, Kankuro?" Naruto asked excitedly. Kankuro nodded as he laid back in the grass.

"Yup! My sensei, Sasori, is teaching all he can."

It was after school and the six boys were lying in the grass doing homework and talking about hobbies. Naruto was staring wide-eyed at Kankuro with an engrossed expression on his face. Sasuke was doing his homework trying to ignore Kankuro and Naruto. Gaara was doing the same. Shikamaru was sleeping while Choji was eating and listening to Kankuro.

"That's so amazing! Have you made any auto… um…?" Naruto frowned as he tried to think of the word for puppets.

"Automatons and I've made a couple, but I left them back in Suna." Kankuro sat up and stretched. Naruto made an "aw" noise and pouted. Kankuro rolled his eyes punching Naruto in the arm. "You'll get to see them."

"Will your sensei come here to teach you, Kankuro-san?" Choji asked through a chip. Kankuro placed a hand to his face thinking then shook his head not knowing.

Naruto fell backwards onto the grass and stared up at the sky. His friends had distracted him about what happened during lunch, but now that it was silent his mind drifted back to it.

_What can I do?_ Naruto thought. _There's no way that anyone is going to come to my party with mister "popular". I wish I could get…_ A sudden idea popped into Naruto's head. He flew upwards and gave a mischievous expression. "THAT'S IT!" He shouted throwing a fist into the air.

"What's it, Naruto?" Sasuke asked after several moments of silence from everyone. Naruto quickly turned to Sasuke grinning.

"We bust into that Jugo guy's party!" Naruto crossed his arms nodding. Sasuke gave Naruto a blank expression not answering back. Naruto raised an eyebrow before frowning. "Aw, c'mon, Sasuke! Don't give me that face. It'll be awesome! I want to get ideas, too." Naruto gave Sasuke the puppy-eyes stare. Sasuke began to gape at Naruto then turned away.

"Fine."

"YES!" Naruto jumped around then stopped when he saw Kiba with Akamaru at his side standing behind him. Naruto gave a neutral expression crossing his arms. "What do you want?"

Kiba grinned coming up to Naruto. "I hear that you want to break into Jugo's party."

"What's it to ya?" Naruto asked semi-glaring.

"Do you know where that party is at?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer then realized he couldn't. He shook his head and turned away. "No, but I can find out!"

"Why don't I just tell you?" Kiba smirked placing his hands on his hips.

"Why would you do that?"

"Cause I want in."

"Huh?" Naruto turned back to Kiba giving him a confused expression. Kiba laughed.

"I want in this crashing. Plus, I know how to get into Jugo's house without getting caught. Want to hear more?" Naruto stared at Kiba narrowing his eyes.

"And what do you get out of this?"

Kiba grinned showing off what looked like a sharp canine tooth. "The pleasure of seeing Jugo's face after what I have planned to make that party a mess." Kiba placed out his hand to Naruto. "So do we have a deal?"

Naruto stared long at the hand before grabbing it. "Deal."

-oO0-o)

**October 6th, Saturday. Early Evening at the Estate District in Konoha.**

Loud music echoed from a large house among the trees. Lights flooded from the inside through large windows lighting the ground up with the setting sun. A soft breeze blew with eight shadows sneaking towards the house. Those eight shadows were Kiba, Akamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, Kankuro, and Gaara. They stopped by a few bushes that were hidden from the view of the windows. Kiba stood up and peeked around the bushes before kneeling down.

"Okay… This is the plan. There is a back door that we can enter from. Akamaru will stay here to warn us if we are in danger of getting caught."

"Alright, Kiba, lead the way."

Kiba stood up again with the others. Naruto grinned and examined their group. Everyone was wearing disguises and Naruto thought how they looked like a bunch of Ninja. Quickly, Kiba ran over to the back of the building and came to a door. Everyone followed after as soon as Kiba gestured them over. Naruto looked left and right being very excited about this. It was his first time crashing a party.

Kiba fiddled with the lock before the door opened. He peeked inside checking the hallway before entering. "Let's go." He whispered as he walked down the hallway slowly.

"I'll keep watch." Kankuro murmured as he held the door for everyone to go in. "And Naruto, keep Gaara with you."

"Got it!" Naruto grinned grabbing Gaara's arm and sticking behind Kiba.

Carefully, the group snuck down the hallway until the music and light got overwhelming. Kiba peeked into the room of the source. Naruto peeked around Kiba eyes widening.

It was a very large dinning room. All the windows that showed outside were huge, and the middle of the room was a dance floor where many people were already crowded on. Naruto spotted many boys from his school and girls. Naruto bit his lip. He had no idea this party was for girls as well.

Kiba turned to everyone as he pushed Naruto away. "Everyone know what they have to do?" Nods followed. "Good! Now split up!" Kiba slinked off leaving the others to do things on their own. Naruto turned to rest and grinned.

"So… our job is to steal a lot of the food?" Shikamaru asked with a bag in his hand. Choji had a similar bag and looked excited about it.

"Yes." Sasuke replied as he cracked his neck. "Make sure to use those plastic bags in there so some of it doesn't spoil."

Shikamaru mumbled, but left with Choji behind him. Sasuke nodded to Naruto leaving him behind with Gaara.

"Alright, Gaara, our job is to mess with their music." Naruto chuckled as he brought out some very bad girly music. Gaara blinked slowly and nodded then the two ran off to find the music.

-oO0-o)

Sasuke had grabbed a drink and was standing in a dark, isolated corner. He had a clear view of the party, but few would notice him. His job had been lookout inside of the party. He placed a hand to his ear and pressed inside. "Kankuro, how are things looking?" Sasuke listened closely from the radio that Kiba had given him. Kankuro reported all was quiet. "Good…" Sighing, Sasuke took his hand off his ear and stared at the crowd dancing on the floor.

They weren't noticing the small group that had snuck in, or the ones that were stealing the food currently. Shikamaru snuck a lot of the food into plastic bags leaving little behind. The party would notice if they took all the food. Choji was munching on some of it as it was handed to him to put in the large bag. Sasuke gave a chuckle rolling his eyes. Next, he tried to locate Kiba then shook his head remembering where Kiba had gone. His eyes darted around and he spotted Gaara and Naruto near where the music was playing. That job was going to be harder as it was more out in the open. Gaara was keeping watch while Naruto waited to switch it out at the CD with one during the gift giving time.

_Everything is going as planned. We'll be out of here soon._ Sasuke took a sip of his drink and continued to observe.

"Oh… who are you?" Sasuke froze at the voice of a girl. He turned to his left and saw a girl with medium-long, strawberry red colored hair. It was pointy and unkempt on the right side while on the left side it was straight and combed. She had glasses on her face and a flirtatious smile as she approached Sasuke. Sasuke blushed slightly at the revealing clothes she was wearing before turning away.

"No one important." Sasuke responded coldly. He didn't want to gain attention, especially from a girl. He heard the girl laugh and come right up next to him. He tensed up as she lightly touched his hand.

"My name is Karin." She whispered moving her arm against Sasuke's. Sasuke tensed up more and edged away. "C'mon, tell me your name."

"I'd rather not. Can you leave me alone?" Sasuke desperately tried to shake Karin off, but she wouldn't give in. Sighing, he began to walk away but was suddenly pushed against the wall. His eyes widened as Karin placed her hands on his shoulders, and almost pushed herself onto Sasuke.

_What does this girl think she's doing?_ Sasuke squirmed as he swallowed hard trying to find a way to escape. _This is not good… Not good at all._

"Do you have a girlfriend? If not, can I be that girlfriend?" Karin cooed as she went to touch Sasuke's face.

Sasuke started to panic then grabbed her hand. "I do. Now get off me!" Sasuke's voice was serious as he pushed Karin away. Karin stared at him probably trying to determine whether Sasuke was lying or not. She gave a smile and placed a hand on her chin while the other hand went under her upraised arm's elbow.

"I'll prove to you that I'm better than her." Karin smirked sexually at Sasuke. Sasuke blinked and then frowned. _Amazing that she actually believed me._ Sasuke thought then looked away.

"No way. I'm not going to love any girl but her, ever." Sasuke crossed his arms. He heard Karin growl then suddenly she was in his face about to kiss him. His eyes widened and he edged away trying to get away.

All of the sudden, the lights went out and Sasuke pushed Karin away and placed on goggles for night-vision. Kiba had succeeded on his part. Sasuke slipped past the people that were panicking and went straight for the back door. Girly music filled the air as he reached the door. The door opened and he jumped, but relaxed when he saw it was Kankuro. Kankuro gestured for him to get out and he complied.

Once he got out, he ran for the bushes where Akamaru was and dropped to his butt. He slowly took deep breaths as he placed a hand on his lips.

_She almost kissed me._ Sasuke fell backwards and stared up at the night sky as he waited for the others to get out. _Man. I'd never date that chick. I hope I never have to see her again._

Naruto came rushing into the bushes with Gaara behind him snickering like a dork. Sasuke smiled and pushed Naruto's head.

"Good job, idiot."

"Ha! Thanks, Sasuke." Naruto didn't care to be called an idiot this time. He had had fun doing that. Eventually, Shikamaru, Choji, Kankuro, and Kiba joined the group. They all stared toward the house laughing at commotion that was heard.

Kiba stood up and started to run. "Let's get out of here!" He shouted as he adjusted his goggles. Everyone got up and followed after. Naruto looked behind the house and gave a smirk.

_Best fun I've had in a while._ He turned toward the ones running besides him. He hadn't known a lot of them for long, but they were the coolest friends he'd ever had.

**October 13th, Saturday Evening.**

As Naruto entered the room with his newfound friends, that included Kiba, Akamaru, and Kiba's best friend Shino, his eyes widen at all the games and party items floating around. His father hadn't told him what he had been doing for his birthday, but it was something for Naruto to squeal over.

Naruto saw his father and went over to hug him as his friends ran to play the games that were scattered about. "Thank you, Dad!"

Minato smiled as he rubbed Naruto's head then he brought out a gift. "Here."

"What's this?" Naruto asked as he held a small rectangular box in his hand.

"Open and find out!" Minato laughed leaning against the wall.

Naruto ripped off the wrapping and lifted off the lid of the box. His eyes stared down at a beautiful, teal, glass diamond necklace. Naruto lifted it up and stared at it. "Dad…"

"It's made from a type of crystal gem. It was your grandfather's…" Minato smiled as Naruto looked up at his father. Tears and a smile began to appear on Naruto's face as he hugged his father.

"Thank you…" Naruto missed his grandfather whom he had barely known, but it was such a joy to receive a keepsake of his grandfather's.

"You're welcome, Naruto… Now go play!" Naruto gave his father a nod, placed the necklace on, and ran after to find his friends. He jumped on Sasuke's back who grabbed him and began to wrestle. Itachi was nearby and laughed shaking his head at the boys. Obito was next to him and rubbed the back of his head smiling.

Kiba saw what was going on and jumped into the pile with all three boys beginning to wrestle until… Akamaru jumped in. They panicked and fled as Akamaru chased them around the room.

Naruto looked to Sasuke and smiled laughing. Sasuke turned to Naruto smiling back. Itachi grabbed them both and held them as Obito took a picture. They squirmed in Itachi's arms until they took him down.

Eventually, the party came to an end and everyone was exhausted as they stood together for a picture.

Naruto and Sasuke had their arms looped over each other, while Naruto had his hand on Gaara's head. Kankuro was behind with Shino as the two were taller than everyone else. Kiba and Akamaru were leaning down in front of the group while Shikamaru and Choji were at the ends.

"Say, we rock!" Itachi shouted as he was about to take the picture.

"WE ROCK!" They shouted and Naruto threw his fist into the air just as the picture was taken. His expression was of pure happiness showing no traces of his past.

He was among friends with his best friend Sasuke by his side.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**Alright peeps! The next chapter is a Halloween one! **

Thank you again for all your help, support, and comments! They keep me going.


	7. Halloween and Second Missed Encounter

The title should be:

Halloween: Second and Third Missed Encounters.

But of course it's too long so I had to cut it down.

_If you don't like the pairings I have picked out, you don't have to read the story. It's mostly about Sasuke and Naruto's friendship, but it also contains romance._

About Kisame! He has really pale skin. Making him blue would be a bit strange for this setting of Naruto. For Deidara, just imagine he always says his "Un" or whatever at the end of his sentences. It looks silly to write them in when it's a noise he makes. (Personalities will be off in order to make them kinder than they actually are)

Tobi is in here as Tobi personality, not his true self. Think of him as a completely different character than his true self. (Not saying anything about his true self in case people haven't watched/read that far)

As always,

Enjoy, and thank you for reading!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**October 19th, Friday. Last hour of school.**

Naruto stared at a bowl in front of him with his arms crossed. An expression of concentration laced his face. Choji stood next to him giving the same expression as he stared at another bowl. The class around them watched with eagerness on their faces to see what would happen.

The teacher, Kisame Hoshigaki, leaned back on his desk waiting for Naruto and Choji to begin. He had a small smirk on his face has he ran his hand through his dull blue, tail-finned hair. He always found it fascinating to watch what these two would create.

Naruto's eyes lit up as he grabbed the noodles next to him. He placed them into the bowl and began to crush them. Choji grabbed a few mixtures of spices and began to mix them in the other bowl. Kisame came over to lean over the kitchen table to watch them work. He pondered to what they could make with crushed noodles and spices, which he reflected were actually spices for curry.

Naruto poured the crushed noodles into boiling water that was on the stove. He moved aside to let Choji put in the spices before moving back and beginning to stir the mixture. As he did that Choji grabbed jalapeños, bell peppers, and chili peppers and began to cut them up. After that, he started to crush them up making them into a powder as best as he could. Moving aside, Naruto let Choji stir the rest of the mixture with the newly made powder. Naruto grabbed a large bowl and placed rice inside before he began to crush it lightly. Then, he placed them in the rice cooker and waited as he watched Choji cook the rest of the food.

**Half an hour later.**

"Kisame-sensei!" Naruto and Choji held out a plate with rice and finished product of their soup. Kisame grinned as he took the plate from the gladly. He looked at the soup on top and gave a laugh.

"Your own curry, eh?" Kisame asked as he took a bite. Naruto and Choji grinned with wide eyes as they waited for the result. Kisame chewed leisurely savoring the taste. After a moment, he placed the plate down, calmly grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and drank from it for several moments. He turned toward Naruto and Choji wiping off his mouth. "That has to be one of the spiciest things I've tasted that have come out of this class, but…"

Naruto and Choji's face fell to concern as they watched Kisame's face get serious and begin to ponder. "But what?" Naruto urged as he crossed his arms. Kisame turned toward Naruto staring at him then laughed as he patted Naruto's head.

"But nothing! This is very good. Well done, Naruto, Choji. The crushed noodles actually give it a crunchy taste that can't be distinguished between the rice. It's a good flow of flavors." Kisame grabbed the plate and began to eat the food again.

Naruto's eyes got wide as he jumped into the air shouting happily. Choji raised his arms excitedly that he got praised by the teacher. He then turned to everyone in the class and gestured to the food. "Everyone can have some, too!" The class cheered as the got in line to get some of the spicy food.

-oO0-o)

Sasuke stretched his arms out as he stared down at the picture he had been drawing. It was of a cherry blossom tree painted with watercolors. It was rough, but he liked it. A smile came to his face as he thought of the reason he had drawn it.

_Sakura._ Sasuke continued to smile softly as he picked up his painting and placed it on a rack to dry. He looked at the other works that were there giving each one a long look. _I've got a long way to go if I want to be good at what I do._ As Sasuke was observing the drawings he failed to notice someone creep up behind him.

"Sasuke-kun, that looks good for a start." Sasuke jumped and turned around to see his teacher, Deidara. Sasuke gave a frown and stood up straight. He scratched the back of his head giving a nod of thanks. It was always weird to for Sasuke to look at Deidara as he looked a lot like a girl. Deidara had long, blond hair that was into a half ponytail, and he also had a long bang covering over his left eye.

"Deidara-sensei, when are the assignments due?" Sasuke asked as he began to walk back to his desk. Deidara followed him giving a thoughtful look. Sasuke gave a sigh as began to clean up the watercolors he was using.

"Probably next Wednesday, although it will only be a turn in as that week is to make preparations for the upcoming Halloween Festival." Deidara grinned as he watched Sasuke place the supplies away then go to the sink. Sasuke turned to Deidara as finished washing his hands.

"Halloween Festival?" Sasuke crossed his arms blinking slowly. "I knew there was a festival coming up, but Halloween?"

"Yup! It's quite a fun festival to do. I enjoy making a lot props for the school."

"How many festivals does this school actually do?" Sasuke asked as he leaned against a wall. _Since Naruto and I went with his father to take Gaara home, we actually missed the Matsuri. Naruto was furious when he found out._

"Quite a lot actually. It's the main reason people come to these schools… Well try to anyway." Deidara stretched as he went into his office and sat down. Sasuke followed.

"Try to? Is it hard to get into this school?" Sasuke was curious by Deidara's words. Deidara glanced at Sasuke and nodded. "Why is that?"

"One, most of the schools in Konoha are co-ed. This one is special with the campuses being shared, but not co-ed. It makes it a pricey school, so not many people can actually afford it. Of course, there are special cases, scholarships, or those picked by the Mayor. Two, we specialize in making our students learn to work together. That's why there are a lot of group activities and festivals. We aim for teamwork.

"Both of the Principals of the school get together a lot to determine what to do for each festival each year. Even if the festivals are the same they try to make the students do different things. And three, because of what we try to prioritize in, we make sure that we get students that we believe have the potential to achieve the main goals of these schools." Deidara leaned back in his chair as he opened a can of soda and sipped on it.

Sasuke sat down and crossed his arms thinking slowly about what Deidara had said. A question popped into his mind. "Why are the schools separated by gender?"

"Hmm, it's to help students focus more. It's easier to associate with the same gender."

"But… wouldn't that make it harder to work together with the opposite gender?"

Deidara slowly sipped on his soda before answering Sasuke. "Well… think about what I just told about the schools. Your answer will lie there."

Sasuke frowned and opened his mouth to question, but the sound of the bell for class to end rung interrupting his thoughts. He looked up at the clock blinking at how fast 3 o'clock had come.

"Heh, looks like class is over." Deidara grinned and pulled out some clay molding it in his hands. He quickly went out into the classroom and shouted for everyone to stop. Sasuke followed him and went around to0020go grab his things. "You guys don't have to come to class next week as the art rooms will be used for the festival. Just turn in your assignment sometime Wednesday." Deidara waved off his students as he went back into his office.

Sasuke closed his side bag and placed it on. _Time to find Naruto. I bet he knows nothing about the Halloween Festival just as I did._ Sasuke placed on his thin coat and headed out the door.

-oO0-o)

"NO WAY!" Naruto shouted as he and Sasuke walked home. "A Halloween festival?"

"Apparently next week is when we work on making classrooms into special rooms for the festival." Sasuke assumed that was what they were going to do. "The week after that is when the festival is actually going to be held. I don't know much more than that."

"This is so awesome!" Naruto grinned happily. "This is nothing like Oto's school. It's so much more fun, and you get to work with people." Sasuke blinked at Naruto when he mentioned working with others. It was one of the things Deidara had told him.

"That's true. Unlike Oto, they just made you study more than focus on working with others."

"Yeah! And today was awesome! Choji and I made the best spicy curry ever." Naruto snickered as he dug through his backpack and pulled out a dish covered in plastic wrap. Sasuke stared at it and wrinkled up his noise being able to smell the spicy flavor.

"Wow, Naruto. That is really spicy."

"Want to try?" Naruto lifted the plate in front of Sasuke's face. Sasuke made a worried face and shook his head.

"Maybe later…" Sasuke rushed into his house as it came into view leaving Naruto behind to glare after him.

Naruto gave a sigh with a smile placing the food back into his backpack before going into his house. As he opened the door, he was immediately hugged by his mother. Naruto blinked slowly before hugging her back.

"Welcome home, Naruto! Did you have a good day?" Kushina asked smiling happily as she let Naruto in.

"Yup! I got to make really spicy curry with Choji today."

"I'm glad you're having fun. How about your other classes?" Naruto stopped and gave a worried expression.

_I haven't been doing too well._ Naruto thought as his mother waited for an answer. _What to tell her…?_ Naruto swallowed and slowly turned toward his mother. "Err, well…" Kushina gave a frown and crossed her arms.

"Then it's off to your room, young man." Kushina pointed towards the hallway and Naruto gave a sigh.

"Yes, Mom." Naruto sulked over to his room shutting the door. He plopped on his bed rolling around on it on frustration a few times before opening his backpack and pulling out work. Slowly, he began to work before he got frustrated and called Sasuke up.

"Sasuke! Help me work on this." He pleaded over the phone as he stared dumbly at the science homework.

"Naruto, be specific." Sasuke mumbled from the other end.

"Science homework, I don't get it!" Naruto whined as he fell backwards on his bed. He heard Sasuke sigh then get silent. Naruto frowned. "Sasuke?" Sasuke didn't answer. He was about to ask again, but then he heard a voice in the background. A scuffling noise was produced and Naruto heard the phone get placed down.

_Itachi must have come in._ Naruto groaned and sat back up staring down at his homework. He waited until he heard the phone picked back up.

"So, Sasuke…" Naruto began.

"Naruto! I heard you needed help with my homework." Naruto was interrupted by a very familiar voice.

"Obito? What are you doing in Sasuke's house?" Naruto asked as he shifted the book off his legs.

"Just visiting! Since it's Friday I'm allowed to do whatever I wish after school, but besides that just come on over! We'll do a study group." Naruto heard the phone hang up. He took the phone off his ear and stared at it.

Giving a smile, Naruto gathered up his homework and rushed out the door. He stopped to tell his mother where he was going then headed out of the house and going into Sasuke's.

-oO0-o)

Naruto stared happily at his homework when it was finished. He turned his attention quickly to the cards that were in front of him when Sasuke poked him in the side. Obito decided that playing a card game would be nice after all that homework they had done. Itachi had joined in after he had finished cleaning up dinner.

"Hmm, so have you guys heard about the festival?" Obito asked as he drew a card. Naruto and Sasuke nodded. "Do you know what you guys are going to be doing?"

"We have to do something?" Naruto asked as he placed down a few cards before drawing one. Obito nodded. "Like what?"

"Help with decorations, set up events that will happen, and other such things."

"I think I'll help with events." Sasuke answered placing all his cards down. "I win."

"Eeeeh? No fair Sasuke!" Naruto grumped as he dropped his cards.

"It sounds like something fun is going to happen." Itachi commented as he picked up the cards to shuffle them.

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed then placed a hand to his face, thinking. "I'll… help with decorations! It sounds like a lot of fun." He grinned leaning back against the floor.

Obito gave a smile and stretched his arms out. "Do you guys have an idea of what kind of costumes you're going to wear?" Obito asked. Naruto shot straight up with shining eyes. Obito smiled. "Yup! You get to wear costumes the entire week of school."

"YES! THAT IS JUST AWESOME!" Naruto clenched his fists together shaking with excitement. Sasuke sweat dropped giving a frown.

"Naruto," Sasuke started, "stop acting like a little kid." Naruto stopped and turned to Sasuke giving a frown.

"Ah, c'mon, Sasuke! Aren't you excited for this?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I guess it sounds like fun."

"You guess?"

"Yeah, but otherwise it seems kind of boring."

"Liar! I bet you're happy inside."

"What? What are you talking about, Idiot?"

"You're excited just like me, admit it."

"No way! I wouldn't admit it even if I was excited."

"HA! So you must be excited."

"What made you think that?"

"You wouldn't say that if the emotion hadn't crossed your mind."

"Tch, whatever."

Sasuke and Naruto continued to argue. Itachi and Obito shook their heads and left the boys to squabble. They knew it wasn't going to end up as a fist fight, so there was no need to worry about them or to stop it. And soon enough, they heard the boys laughing and making fun of each other.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**October 20th, Saturday afternoon.**

Sakura skipped down the streets of Konoha with Ino behind her. They were off to visit Hinata's house for preparations for the Halloween Festival. They were assigned to make decorations ideas and examples. Ino loved to make decorations, more with flowers, but regardless she was good at it, so she had volunteered herself, Sakura, and Hinata. Sakura and Hinata hadn't minded. It was something fun to do with friends.

Sakura and Ino turned down a corner and headed toward the Estate District. Neither of them had been here before, so it was quite exciting but at the same time strange. Ino grabbed Sakura's arm and looked back and forth thinking something could jump out on them. Sakura sweat dropped at Ino's reaction, and smiled as she looked down at the map Hinata had written for her.

Sakura wasn't scared; she had witnessed and experienced much worse in Oto.

Both girls kept quiet to not draw attention to themselves, and kept their eyes from wandering. Eventually, they made it to Hinata's house and knocked on the gate. Ino took a deep breath and clenched a bag of materials as they waited for someone to answer. After a few minutes, Sakura knocked again, but louder this time.

"Maybe this is the wrong house." Ino suggested as she looked around. There weren't any other homes nearby, so this had to be the right place as Hinata had said her family owned a lot of land.

After waiting another five minutes, Sakura gave up and turned to leave. She stopped when a long, black haired boy stood in front of her staring. His eyes were very similar to Hinata's, so Sakura wondered if this was her cousin.

"Did you need something from the Hyuuga Family?" The boy asked crossing his arms.

Sakura nodded , "I'm looking for Hinata-chan. You're Neji-san, her cousin right?" Sakura asked being polite.

"That I am." Neji bowed his head and unlocked the door that lead through the gate. "My apologizes, I had almost forgotten Hinata-sama had her friends coming over. Please, come this way." Neji held the doors open and Sakura and Ino gladly went inside.

"Neji-kun," Ino started as she looked around. "Is no one at home?"

"The one that usually tends to the door must be out." Neji closed the door behind him and locked it.

Sakura stopped and held her breath as she looked at the beauty before her.

It was a lovely garden with a great influence from Japanese culture. There were cobblestoned pathways leading to a Japanese styled home and a porch way that looked to lace around the entire home. Where they were at the moment looked to be a garden. Sakura knelt down by a small pond to see fish swimming inside. A smile came to her face as she looked around at the flowers planted nearby. She could already see Ino examining them with great care.

Sakura watched as Neji walked up the pathway and onto the porch. He turned to Sakura and Ino and gestured for them to follow. Sakura tapped Ino on the shoulder and followed after Neji.

Neji led around the left side of the home and went into a hallway. It led into a large open area that reminded Sakura of a place in Oto. It was like a training ground for people studying martial arts and the like. The porch way surrounded the grounds with many sliding doors on the sides. Neji turned down another hallway, and came out to a smaller home. As Neji approached the door, he took off his shoes and knocked upon it. Sakura and Ino imitated him, and Sakura noticed there were already a couple of pairs of shoes here.

A few moments later footsteps were heard and the door opened. Hinata was standing there with a smile on her face. "Neji-niisan! You're back."

"I am, Hinata-sama, and I have brought your friends." Neji moved aside so Hinata could see Sakura and Ino. Hinata smiled and came out hugging both of them. Sakura and Ino were greatly surprised at the confidence Hinata produced.

"Did you two find your way here alright?" Hinata asked as she took a step back. "You didn't run into any trouble?"

"Nope! It was quiet and your instructions were very good." Sakura answered with a smile.

"Although, I kept feeling like someone was going to jump out on me…" Ino frowned. Sakura sweat dropped thinking again how silly Ino was being.

"If you're alone that could happen." Neji piped in as he bowed his head. "I'm going to train; call if you need me Hinata-sama."

"I will, Neji-niisan." Hinata hugged Neji before he placed his shoes on and walked off. Hinata grabbed Sakura and Ino's hands dragging them inside.

-oO0-o)

"Eeeeeh! I knew this place was dangerous." Ino commented throwing material up into the air.

"So, what happened next, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked eagerly.

Hinata had been telling Sakura and Ino about the day she been attacked by the four boys on her way to buy something.

"Well… they dragged me into an alleyway, and I tried calling for help, but I knew no one would come. Neji-niisan was busy that day, so he hadn't been able to accompany me." Hinata looked down at the orange material she was cutting out to look like a pumpkin. Sakura reached over and grabbed Hinata's hand giving it a gentle squeeze. Hinata looked up and smiled at Sakura. "They pushed me down to the ground while two of them held me there. I'm not sure what they were going to do next, but then I heard a voice shout and the boys stopped.

"When I tried looking around them I couldn't make out who was there. The sunlight was in the way of my eyes, and so were the boys, but I could definitely tell it was another boy. I was scared at first, but then the boys asked him what he wanted. He was definitely not on their side. They kept antagonizing him until he hit one of the boys!"

"HA! Serves him right." Ino punched her fists together.

"Yes…" Hinata took a deep breath as she continued. "The two boys holding me down got up and placed a hand over my mouth. One of them let go so that he could go and attack the other boy. He took them down and went straight after the boy holding me, but then that boy moved me in front of him!"

"That's low, using you as a shield…" Sakura growled and Hinata nodded slowly.

"He stopped though. His fist stopped right at my face. That gave the other boys the opportunity to strike back. It was horrible. They pinned him down and kept attacking him, but he made them stop and took them out. As he came for the last boy, instead of attacking from the front, he slid under us and hit him from behind. Then he grabbed my hand and we fled away from there." Hinata laid back giving a smile as she hugged her pumpkin decoration.

Sakura looked down at Hinata with a smile of her own. "I'm glad you weren't hurt…"

"Me too!" Ino said as she continued to work on her decorations of cats.

"He was such a sweet boy…" Hinata sighed happily as she stared up at the ceiling. "He was from Kitsune High, although he was wearing a black trench coat so I thought he was a gangster at first." Hinata giggled as she sat up.

"If he goes to Kitsune High then you can see him again during the festival!" Sakura piped in joyfully. Hinata blinked at her then blushed and shook her head. "Oh, c'mon! This is a great opportunity for you."

"Yeah, a boy who rescues a girl without a second thought must be a great guy!" Ino joined in poking Hinata in the stomach lightly. "You have to go find him again!"

"But… but… I-I…" Hinata began to stutter feeling her face get warmer. "I… don't even know is name!"

"That doesn't matter!" Sakura laughed and poked Hinata's cheek. "You know what he looks like, right? Then that's all you need!"

"But…"

"No buts!" Ino said as she placed a finger over Hinata's mouth. "You will find this boy, okay? You'll find him even through the hidden of a costume."

"Okay… you two win." Hinata sighed shaking her head, but there was a smile there. Sakura and Ino grinned at each other then blinked slowly coming to the same thought.

_Halloween costumes!_

"What should we go as?" Sakura wondered as she crossed her arms thinking. Hinata tilted her head with a curious look.

"I think Hinata-chan should go as the mascot!" Ino suggested.

"Eh? Me go as the Nibi? N-N-No way!" Hinata shook her head placing her hands over her face.

"Ha! That's a great idea, and you should go as a flower, Ino." Sakura suggested jokingly sticking her tongue out at her best friend who glared.

"I think you should go as a mummy, Sakura." Ino gave as a comeback. Sakura opened her mouth to argue then blinked slowly.

"That… actually sounds like a good idea, Ino." Ino sweat dropped and placed a hand over her face.

"I didn't think you'd actually agree…"

"H-H-How about Ino-chan goes as a mermaid?" Hinata proposed shyly as she tapped her two pointer fingers together. Sakura and Ino stared at her then glanced to each other.

"A mermaid, mummy, and Nibi?" Sakura raised her eyebrow then grinned.

"Sounds perfect!" Ino cheered laughing. Hinata smiled and nodded. "We'll have to work on the costumes next week! Well the mermaid and mummy. The Nibi only needs to be tailored to fit Hinata-chan. It's at the school and used every year."

"Since that's settled, let's finish this up then go shopping!" Sakura raised her fist into the air with the other two cheering happily.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**October 22nd, Monday.**

Naruto and Sasuke rushed down the hallway as they tried to catch up with Shikamaru and Choji.

"Shikamaru! Choji!" Naruto shouted out as he skidded around a corner and slid across the floor. Sasuke came to a stop staring blankly as Naruto crashed into a few people before stopping. Sasuke sighed shaking his head.

Shikamaru and Choji peeked from the stairs they were heading down and sweat dropped at the mess Naruto was in. Naruto squirmed under people and groaned in pain. Sasuke came over with Shikamaru and Choji behind to help everyone get up. As soon as Naruto was free from the mess up people, he jumped up and went up to Shikamaru.

"What…?" Shikamaru asked with boredom in his voice. He was inching away from Naruto who was being overly close.

"I need to know where the Kyuubi costume is." Naruto pleaded with determination in his eyes.

"What for, Naruto-kun?" Choji asked as he munched on a bag of chips.

"He got dared to do it." Sasuke added in as he leaned against the wall next to the stairs. Choji blinked and tilted his head. Shikamaru gave a sympathetic look at Naruto who glared in response.

"I'll do it! I'll never go back on my word, so do you know where it is?" Naruto asked with hope in his eyes. Shikamaru shook his head as did Choji. Naruto hung his head then crossed his arms.

"Who would know?"

"Probably the Student Council President, Naruto." Shikamaru mumbled yawning. Naruto stared at Shikamaru with a clueless expression on his face. "Neji Hyuuga, he's a junior."

"Oh, the arrogant boy." Naruto frowned.

"Uh, I guess arrogant could describe him." Shikamaru shrugged. "But he's probably in the Student Council room right now. It's down the hallway." He pointed the direction Naruto and Sasuke had come from.

"Thanks, Shikamaru." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and began to drag him down the hallway. "See you two later."

Naruto put on a neutral face as he and Sasuke walked down the hallway of people. He didn't really want to talk to that Neji after the first time. He really disliked people who thought they were better than everyone else. Sasuke let go of his arm as they came to the door. Sasuke knocked on the door and waited. Naruto placed his hands in his pocket and tried to keep his expression neutral the entire time.

Neji was the one who opened the door. He frowned when he saw who it was before crossing his arms. "Is there something you need from the Student Council?"

"Yeah. Where do you keep the Kyuubi costume?" Naruto asked with little emotion in his voice.

Neji narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "…Hold on." Neji turned back into the room and whispered something to other Student Council members. Naruto placed his hands behind his head giving a yawn. Soon, Neji came back with a key in his hand and closed the door. "This way." Neji walked passed them and headed towards the stairs.

Sasuke and Naruto followed after Neji as he headed up the stairs. They continued up until they came to the highest floor. Neji turned left and walked down the hallway moving past people. Naruto mumbled wondering where they were actually going. Suddenly, Neji stopped. Naruto almost ran into him.

"What's going…?" Naruto didn't get to finish his sentence as Neji started to run. He ran into a room disappearing. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other before running after. As they came to the room their eyes widened.

It was a mess. Things were torn up and thrown about. In one corner Naruto spotted something fuzzy. He went over to it and pulled it out.

"This is…" He began, but couldn't finish his sentence. Neji came up next to him with an angry expression.

"This was the Kyuubi costume… But it seems like someone has come in here and torn it up." Neji gripped his hands and looked around the room.

"Who would do this?" Sasuke asked as he began to pick things up. Neji looked to Sasuke and looked like he was going to argue about what he was doing, but thought otherwise and started to help. Naruto placed down the Kyuubi costume and helped as well.

**A few hours later.**

Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke entered the Student Council room. Naruto had the Kyuubi costume in his hand, which he placed on the table.

"We have a problem. Someone went into the storage room and sabotaged it. Look what they did to the Kyuubi costume." Neji gestured with his hands to it.

"What? Was there anything stolen, President?" Someone asked. Neji shook his head. "Then their main goal was just to make a mess…"

"That is what it looks like." Neji gave a sigh and looked at the costume. "There isn't enough time to remake this. Is there any suggestions of what can be done?"

The room went silent as Student Council members began to think. Naruto sat down in front of the Kyuubi costume and rubbed his hands across it.

_It's soft._ He thought with a smile. _I actually like it…The costume is really well designed, and not all bulky like I thought it would. Although, I'll definitely trip over those tails._ Naruto gave a silent sigh and looked up when Sasuke tapped his shoulder. Sasuke gave an encouraging smile making Naruto smile.

"Why don't we take it to the tailor that works with the school?" One of the members suggested. Neji looked at them thoughtfully before nodding his head in agreement.

Neji turned to Naruto pulling out some money. "Here, this should be enough." Naruto stared at him blankly. "Can you go to the tailor and get it repaired? We have too much work here."

"Sure." Naruto took the money from Neji and gathered up the Kyuubi costume. "But won't we get in trouble for leaving campus?"

Neji shook his head then began to write on a piece of paper before handing it to Sasuke. "Give this to the guard at the gate. He'll let you pass. The tailor is easy to spot, he's down the street. Just tell him what happened, he'll take it."

"Alright, thanks." Sasuke bowed his head and walked out of the room with Naruto following.

-oO0-o)

Sasuke and Naruto stared at the store in front of them. Many assortment of clothing were outside, and inside the building as well. Sasuke nodded to Naruto as he entered; Naruto followed fumbling with the Kyuubi's tails. A bell rang out as the door opened. Sasuke walked over to the counter where a dark skinned, muscular man with long, dark brown hair was sitting. He was reading a book. As Sasuke and Naruto approached he raised his head to reveal that he was wearing mask over his face, and had dark green eyes with red sclera.

_What is with his eyes?_ Sasuke thought biting his lip. _Maybe he's getting into Halloween._

"What do you want?" The man asked giving Sasuke and Naruto a blank look.

"Ah, we were told that you could repair the Kitsune High Kyuubi costume." Sasuke nudged Naruto forward who came up and held the Kyuubi costume out. The man stared at the costume before placing his hand out. Naruto handed the costume to him, stepping back.

"What happened to it?" The man asked as he began to examine it.

"Someone sabotaged it." Sasuke answered. The man gave a nod. He began to examine it more then looked between the boys.

"I'll fix it. You have money for it?" Naruto nodded placing down the money Neji gave him. "Who is wearing it this year?"

"I am, Sir." Naruto raised his hand up.

"Follow me then." The man stood up and started to walk into the back room. Naruto lifted an eyebrow up and followed after him. Sasuke remained in the store.

Naruto looked around curiously as he followed the man into the back of the store. "Um…"

"Kakuzu."

"What do you need me for, Kakuzu-sensei?" Naruto asked as they entered a room. Kakuzu placed the Kyuubi costume on a table before coming up behind Naruto and shutting the door. Naruto stared up at him as he was fairly tall person, almost as tall as Kisame.

"I need to take your measurements. The Kyuubi costume usually doesn't need to be fitted each year, but sometimes it does for who wears it." Kakuzu went over to the table and spread out the Kyuubi costume. "Once I'm done with that, you can go back out. Now go stand on that stool." Naruto looked around for the stool and nodded. He took off his trench coat and gave it to Kakuzu who hung it up on a peg. Then Kakuzu brought out a measuring tape and began to work.

Sasuke stretched out as he examined the clothing that was around. A lot of it was actually pretty cool, and there was a wide variety. One section of the store was purely for Kitsune and Konoha High. Sasuke remembered that Neji had mentioned that this man was the tailor for the schools.

As Sasuke looked around he spotted a long, white sleeved shirt. He grabbed it and placed the sleeves up to his arms. A smile came to his face.

_This is perfect._ He thought. _Kushina told me that I should find a white shirt where the sleeves went past my hands._ Sasuke dropped the shirt on his arm and began to look around for pants that were loose and white. Eventually, he found a perfect pair that were his size. He looked up as Naruto and the tailor came out from the back room. He went up to the counter.

"It should be ready by the end of the week."

"Thank you, Kakuzu-sensei." Naruto smiled as Kakuzu took the money that was on the counter and placed it in the cash register. He glanced at Sasuke raising an eyebrow up.

"Erm, I'd like to buy these." Sasuke placed them down on the counter. Kakuzu looked at the price tags and nodded. He scanned them then looked to Sasuke expectantly. Sasuke took out his wallet and gave the correct out of money. "Thanks."

"Do you want them bagged?" Kakuzu asked.

"Yes, Sir." Sasuke answered politely. Kakuzu placed the clothing in the bag then turned his head around.

"Tobi! Get in here now." Kakuzu shouted out. Sasuke and Naruto bowed their heads and turned to walk out until they heard a cry of excitement.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sasuke froze instantly when he recognized that high-pitched voice and turned around slowly. His eye began to twitch when he remembered. Someone about the age of Itachi, short, black, spiky hair that was very similar to Naruto's, and an orange oval mask over his face that only had the right eye shown came bouncing over. Sasuke jumped back right before he was hugged. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"No, Tobi! NO!" Sasuke shouted as he inched away.

"Aw, but Sasuke-kun I haven't seen you in forever! And Obito-senpai won't tell me where you live." Tobi hung his head and sighed.

"That's a good thing!"

"But…"

"Tobi!" Tobi froze and turned around to see Kakuzu frowning. Tobi gave off a sheepish laugh and bowed his head. "I'm going to be fixing something, so watch the store."

"Yes, Senpai!" With Tobi distracted, Naruto and Sasuke raced out of the store and ran back to the school at full-speed.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**A few moments after Sasuke and Naruto ran out of the store.**

Sakura and Hinata rounded the corner and blinked slowly.

"Did you hear something, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked looking at Hinata.

"I thought I heard someone running, but I don't see anyone." Hinata looked down the street then sighed as she struggled to hold a Nibi costume in her arms.

"Ah, whatever. Let's just go before you drop that." Sakura came up to the tailor shop and entered with Hinata behind.

"SAS….Aaw…" Sakura and Hinata froze at the sound of a high-pitched voice. Sakura looked to the counter to see Tobi staring at them.

"Uh, what?" Sakura asked giving him a weird look.

"Nothing, nothing." Tobi waved them over. Sakura wasn't sure, but came up to the counter. Hinata placed down the Nibi costume giving a sigh of relief.

"Are you… Kakuzu-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"NOPE!" Tobi answered cheerfully then turned his head to look to the back room. "SENPAI! THERE ARE SOME CUTE GIRLS HERE TO SEE YOU!"

Sakura and Hinata giggled and shook their heads.

_What is with this guy?_ Sakura thought placing a hand over her face. Tobi turned back to them. Sakura tried to give a smile, but couldn't when she couldn't see this guy's face at all behind that orange, oval mask.

Kakuzu came out from the back room and glared at Tobi as Tobi moved aside. "What do you need…?" Kakuzu stopped in mid-sentence and looked down at the Nibi costume. "Sabotage?"

"Ah, that's right, Kakuzu-sensei." Sakura answered. Kakuzu shook his head and began to examine it over.

"I'm going to kill the people that keep destroying my works…" Kakuzu mumbled as he picked it up. "Are one of you girls wearing the costume?"

"I… I-I am." Hinata answered shyly.

"Then come with me. I need to take your measurements." Kakuzu walked to the back of the store with Hinata following. Sakura gave an encouraging smile then looked to Tobi before turning away to look around the store.

Ten minutes later, Hinata came from the back room with Kakuzu.

"It'll take about a week. You'll have it before Monday. Now, the price." Kakuzu went behind his counter and looked to the girls. Hinata pulled out money and handed it to him.

"T-Thank you for this, Kakuzu-sensei. We don't mean to trouble you." Hinata bowed her head.

Kakuzu waved his hand at them. "It's not a trouble; you're paying me to do this after all." Kakuzu turned on the girls and went to the back room. Tobi took the chair again and waved to the girls.

"Fancy to buy some clothing, girls?" Tobi asked happily.

"No, thanks." Sakura mumbled as she grabbed Hinata's hand and left the store. She turned down the street they had come from heading back towards Konoha High. Sakura gave out a giant sigh and a shiver. "That guy… was creepy."

"Kakuzu-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"No, that guy with the orange mask He was overly happy and it was starting to freak me out." Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. Hinata giggled and lightly patted Sakura's arm.

"Ino-chan and I will pick up the costume, so you don't have to see him again."

"Much appreciated, Hinata-chan."

-oO0-o)

**One week later. October 29th, Monday.**

"S-Sakura-chan." Hinata bit her lip as she stood shaking. She was in the Nibi costume that fit her snuggly. Sakura turned around gave a large smile.

The costume was very soft looking with the same sky blue color of the mascot on the back of the girls' uniforms. Hinata looked as if the Nibi had eaten her as her face was behind a hooded mask of teeth. It wrapped around her face with the green eyes of the Nibi at approximately around Hinata's forehead. Two cat ears curved with Hinata's head while two fluffy tails were half-way curled on the back. Hinata placed her hands up to show she had paws. She could unhook the paws if she wished to be able to grab things. Sakura looked down at the shoes that were specially made with the same soft material as the costume.

"That looks adorable on you, Hinata-chan!" Sakura smiled as she came up to her and hugged her. "Aaaah, you're so soft…"

"T-T-Thanks Sakura-chan… But I'm a little e-embarrassed." Hinata stuttered. "Your costume looks great, too."

Sakura took a step back and looked down at herself. "Thanks!"

Sakura's costume was a tattered, long sleeved, white dress. Bandages were wrapped around the dress, and some of them were hanging off the collar and waist tattered as well. Sakura pulled up her hood that covered up her hair. She had a small bandage that wrapped around her neck and also an Egyptian like necklace. Over her eyes was a mask that was mache with bandages. She twirled slightly and the dressed swirled with her.

"I really like it. The same with Ino-chan's costume." Hinata smiled as she came up next to Sakura.

"Yeah! Her mermaid costume was so well done. I especially like how when you watch her walk from behind it actually looks like the flipper is moving." Sakura stretched then grabbed Hinata's hand. "Let's go find her and have some fun!"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

"Saaasuke." Naruto mumbled as he stared at himself in the Kyuubi costume. Sasuke came up and grinned.

"It looks great on you, Naruto. I'm serious." Naruto sighed and turned to look at himself in the mirror.

The costume was very soft looking with the same orange color of the mascot on the back of the boys' uniforms. Naruto's face was consumed by teeth. He looked as if his head was stuck in the throat of a large fox. The hood wrapped around his face with the red eyes of the Kyuubi at roughly around Naruto's forehead. Two fox ears curved with his head while nine fluffy tails were half-way curled on the back. They were long and almost touched the floor as they curled down. Naruto looked down at his paw covered hands. He moved his fingers to unhook it from the inside and the paws flopped off, and hung from his wrists. His eyes traveled to his shoes that were specially made with the same soft material as the costume.

"I do like it, Sasuke. It's just kind of… embarrassing." Naruto turned to Sasuke and frowned. "But I see my mom's work always produces awesome results."

Sasuke came up next to Naruto and looked into the mirror at his costume.

Sasuke's costume was a mummy. His long sleeved, white shirt he had bought at Kakuzu's shop was tattered at the cuffs and had bandages hanging off. The bottom of his shirt was also tattered with bandages hanging off the waist and collar. His pants fell over his shoes tattered. Bandages were completely wrapped around his shirt and pants giving a "tight" feel, but he could easily take both pieces of clothing off. Sasuke reached up and messed with the bandages that were in his hair before pulling a hood over his head that Kushina had attached to the shirt. Over his eyes was a mask that was mache with bandages.

"Let's get going to see if we can find the others." Sasuke turned on Naruto placing his hands into hidden pockets on the pants. Naruto went after him almost tripping, but managed to catch himself.

_Won't this be a fun week?_ Sasuke thought with a grin. _How many times is Naruto going to trip over those tails…?_

-oO0-o)

**November 1st, Thursday.**

Sasuke yawned greatly as he laid down on bench. He had his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky. He was in the back area by himself on Konoha's campus. A blank expression crossed his face as he watched the clouds drift on by.

_It's going to rain soon._ Sasuke thought as he slowly closed his eyes. _Man, I'm so tired…_ Sasuke felt sleep overtake him, but when he opened his eyes again curious green eyes stared down at him. He stared back then flew up to sit up starling the person.

It was a girl that was in a mummy costume very similar to his.

"I'm sorry about that." He apologized hanging his head. The girl gave a laugh and sat down next to him. He looked to the girl as she tugged the hood better over her head. He stared at her then looked away giving a blush. _Why am I getting nervous?_

"It's fine. I shouldn't have been staring at you like that. I wasn't sure if you were dead or not." Sasuke turned toward the girl and gave her a half-grin. "That costume is really well done."

"Thanks. My friend's mother made it. Yours is really well done too." Sasuke commented back leaning back against the bench, but still keeping his eyes on the girl next to him.

"My best friend made this for me. She was so enthusiastic about it that she almost started placing flowers on it." The girl sighed and propped her chin onto upraised hands. Sasuke gave her a half-smile shaking his head.

"I'm guessing she really likes flowers." Sasuke presumed. The girl nodded rolling her eyes. "Have you seen the Kyuubi running around?"

"Yes! It's so well done. I can't believe the school actually came up with that. My friend's running around as the Nibi."

"Seriously? That Kyuubi is my best friend." Sasuke laughed making the girl laugh as well. "He's tripped so many times on his tails that I've lost count."

"I actually saw him trip. He looked furious as he got up." The girl continued to laugh then laid back against the bench as well. "What are you doing sleeping out here?" She asked turning to him. Sasuke, again, blushed when he saw her and had to turn away.

"That Kyuubi dragged me around for so long last night that I barely got sleep before school started." Sasuke hung his head grumbling. He heard the girl giggle and felt her pat his head softly.

"Did you get a lot of candy?"

"For sure, but I don't really like sweet things so I gave most of it to him."

"I bet he was thrilled!"

"Ugh, to no end…" Sasuke looked to the girl and both of them laughed again before staring up at the sky.

Silence followed them for several minutes as they relaxed. Sasuke felt his eyes get droopy, but refused to fall asleep again. His eyes took a glance at the girl and stared at her. He couldn't help but look at her face features, her eyes, her lips…

_Wait a minute!_ Sasuke turned his eyes back to the sky. _Why am I thinking about _kissing_ her? I just met her for god's sake…But I can't help but want to _stare_ at her. Something must be seriously wrong with me… Is my… love for Sakura so fickle that I'd fall for a girl I just met? No! This girl is just really cute, that's all._ Sasuke convinced himself finally and yawned.

"I better go before my best friend freaks out about my sudden disappearance." The girl finally spoke up getting to her feet.

"Alright, I better go find my friend, too before he falls down the stairs." Sasuke groaned thinking about the outcome of that. The girl turned to him and smiled sweetly before waving and walking off. Sasuke stared after her feeling his face warm up.

_Something is seriously wrong with me._ Sasuke rubbed the back of his head before trudging off to find Naruto.

As the two walked away from each other neither them even came to realize who each other were.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Hinata stared at her hands as she sat on a window seal. She could feel herself becoming nervous and felt her face flush up. She had witnessed who the Kyuubi really was, and in that instant couldn't get the courage to talk to him. It was the boy who had saved her.

She sighed and kicked her feet back and forth. _I really want to talk to him, but I don't have the courage to do so. If I told Ino-chan or Sakura-chan they'd force us together._ Hinata placed her hands to her cheeks feeling herself flush up more. _That's just too embarrassing!_

"Hinata-sama?" Hinata looked up to see her cousin coming over to her.

"What is it, Neji-niisan?" Neji sat down next to her, and gave her a worried expression.

"Are you alright?"

"E-Eh? O-Oh! I'm fine." Hinata stuttered and began tapping her two pointer fingers together. She knew Neji understood her nervous, embarrassment habit, but she hoped he wouldn't say anything about it.

Neji lightly patted Hinata's head then stood up. "Let's go enjoy the rest of the festival Hinata-sama."

Hinata blinked at Neji then smiled and grabbed his outstretched hand. "Okay."

Neji and Hinata headed towards the stairs and were about to go up them when suddenly a fluffy Kyuubi came tumbling down the stairs. He landed right on top of Hinata and both of them spun backwards until he was on top of her. Their tails were in entangled together making it hard for them to untangled from each other.

"Gah! I'm so sorry…" He stopped and blinked several times down at Hinata before smiling. "AH! You're Hinata-chan!" Hinata gasped out and realized who was on top of her finally.

"Y-You were the one that…" Hinata didn't get to finish as the boy was suddenly lifted off of her.

"What do you think you're doing to my cousin, Naruto Namikaze?" Neji growled as he glared at Naruto. Naruto glared back and took a step away from him. He placed his fists up as if he wanted to fight.

"W-W-Wait! Neji-niisan! N-Naruto-kun!" Both boys stopped and looked at Hinata who got up quickly. "Neji-niisan, don't fight Naruto-kun… He was the boy that saved my life. Remember when I told you about the day I almost got assaulted…?"

Neji's eyes widened and he turned to look at Naruto. "You… saved Hinata-sama?"

"I did. I wasn't going to leave her after hearing her cries for help." Naruto smiled. "I also made sure they would never hurt her again, although that fight wasn't my fault." Naruto sighed.

"You mean when you got detention for beating up four boys?" Neji asked crossing his arms. Naruto nodded. "I see…" Neji looked down thinking.

Hinata looked at Naruto and gave a smile. Naruto gladly returned the smile with a small blush. Hinata looked to her cousin and waited for him to finish his thinking.

_I'm glad I was able to stop them from fighting…_

Neji looked up at Naruto who blinked at him. "Naruto Namikaze…"

"Yeah?" Naruto asked giving him a curious expression.

"I want to repay you for what you did. You saved my cousin's life, and I am very grateful for that."

"Ah… you don't have to do that, really." Naruto rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

"No, I must, so please would you come over to our home? I want to also apologize for how I've acted towards you since entered Kitsune High." Neji bowed his head. "Please."

Naruto and Hinata mimicked the same expression as they stared at Neji gaping, and promptly both replied with, "huh?"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_If you witnessed a déjà vu then you have noticed how I shamelessly wrote Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura's costume designs very similar to each other. Yes! Very similar indeed, ehehe…_

_Why did I skip trick or treating or spend little time on the actual Halloween event? I wanted to focus more on the characters than the actual event, and this chapter was getting a bit long. This is probably from me switching between the girls and boys a lot._

I'm going to be drawing the costumes of Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino's! Keep a look out on my deviantart gallery! The link to it is on the bottom of my profile page. All of them will be done and posted by the time Halloween comes around!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Grudge

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Naruto-_

**November 3rd, Saturday afternoon.**

"I'm off!" Naruto shouted as he ran out the door pulling over a hoodie jacket. He zipped it up as he jogged down the street. He was headed out towards the Estate District since Neji Hyuuga had asked him to come on by.

It was still a surprise that the arrogant person Naruto had met on his first days wanted to meet him. He did save Hinata, but did that really need so much attention? He wasn't really sure he even deserved it. He had merely saved the life of a girl that no one else was willing to do. He wouldn't have turned his back on her even if there were people who were willing.

Sighing, Naruto quickened his speed and placed his hands into his pockets. It was getting chillier now that autumn was setting in more. He looked up at the trees seeing the beautiful gold, red, and yellow crisp leaves. He really liked this time of the year because it was really gorgeous. Oto's trees weren't quite like this during autumn, but they were still very lovely.

Eventually, Naruto rounded the corner that led toward the Estates. His eyes wandered in amazement as he fully took a look at the homes. Many were quite large and fancy while others had elaborate gates out front. Naruto finally came to a stop in front of the Hyuuga's gate. He observed that while some of the homes were close together, there were none close to the Hyuuga's.

_Must be a rich family._ Naruto thought as he knocked on the gate. He placed his hands back in his pocket and waited. Naruto realized he didn't really know much about the Hyuugas. He had asked his father, but all Minato had said was "Just wait and see."

The door in the gate opened and someone popped their head out. "Do you need something from the Hyuuga Family, Sir?" Naruto turned to them and nodded.

"Neji Hyuuga invited me over, Ma'am." Naruto responded with a bow.

"Oh! You're the one that saved Hinata-sama. Please, come this way." Naruto blinked and went through the door. His eyes widened in amazement at the beautifully scenery about him. It was something that couldn't be seen through the gate, except maybe the cherry blossom trees. He looked down into the ponds to see fish swimming about before looking up at the Japanese style home. "Neji-sama will be right with you." Naruto gave a nod as the person walked away.

_Neji-sama? Hinata-sama? Wow, this family really respects them._ Naruto stretched out his arms as he waited. His eyes drifted to the fish in the pond. He knelt down examining them. _Hey, these are koi. They're native to Oto, though. I'm surprised they actually have some._

"Naruto Namikaze." Naruto was brought out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Neji standing next to him.

"Yo, Neji." Naruto gave a wave before looking down at the fish again. "Hey, where did you get these koi?"

"Hmm?" Neji knelt down next to Naruto looking at the fish as well. "Ah, I believe Hiashi-sama, Hinata-sama's father and my uncle, had them shipped from Oto."

"Is that right? I thought so… Koi are only native to the Oto waters after all." Naruto stood up and gave a smile. Neji stood up as well and turned toward the steps to the porch.

"Come, Hinata-sama has been waiting." Naruto followed after Neji as they walked around the porch.

Naruto pulled his hood off and placed his hands back into his pockets. He looked around at Japanese style walls as they walked on the edge of the porch. Neji walked in front of Naruto silently as he passed the first hallway, which led into the training grounds, and opened a door at the end. He went inside and indicated for Naruto to follow. Naruto quickly went inside before Neji shut the door. It was an inner hallway. Neji and Naruto walked down it until another doorway. It led outside into a beautiful field that was green and flowing.

Naruto stared amazed that this was actually on the property. He took a step off the porch and knelt down touching the grass. It was soft and cool. He grinned and looked up at Neji who had a soft expression on his face. Naruto blinked several times and sat down on the grass as he stared up at Neji. It was an expression he hadn't seen from the Hyuuga boy yet. There was kindness in his eyes, and a gentle smile on his face as he stared out across the field.

_Maybe he really isn't arrogant… He's so… different from that time in the past._ Naruto looked toward the grass giving a light smile then he stood up and stretched.

"Hey, Neji? How come it's so quiet here? I haven't heard the noise from people that would be in this home at all. Actually, I've not seen anyone really." Naruto turned his head to look back at Neji who had turned to look at him.

"Ah, only Hyuugas live here, but a lot of them aren't usually at the main house." Neji answered leaning against the railing of the porch.

"Main house?" Naruto asked tilting his head to the side.

"Where we are now is the main house. It's where Hinata-sama, Hanabi-chan, Hiashi-sama, Hatsuka-sama, and I live. There are attendants that take care of the household that live here as well, but they're usually attending to their duties so you wouldn't see them. Otherwise, all the other relatives live in branch houses." Neji finished explaining.

"Oh, I see." Naruto nodded then came back on the porch. "Who are Hanabi, and Hatsuka?"

"Hanabi-chan is Hinata-sama's younger sister, and Hatsuka-sama is their mother." Neji gestured with his head as he walked around the corner. Naruto followed after and turned the corner to see a small garden with tables, chairs, and ponds. Naruto spotted Hinata at one of the tables and waved over at her.

Hinata waved back and stood up, but stayed where she was at and only sat back down when Neji and Naruto walked over.

"Naruto-kun, how are you today?" Hinata asked as Naruto seated himself to sit next to her.

"I'm good, Hinata-chan." Naruto smiled at her making her blush. "What about you?"

"I am good as well." Hinata smiled shyly messing with her hair. Naruto kept smiling at her and almost didn't notice the attendant asking him if he wanted any tea. He gave a nod before putting his focus on Neji.

"So you wanted to see me, Neji?" Naruto asked getting onto the reason he had been invited.

Neji nodded sitting up straight. "I wanted to formally apologize to you and to give you thanks for saving Hinata-sama."

"Ah, I thought I told you didn't have to do that." Naruto rubbed the back of his head with a frown.

"I know, but this is how our family works. It would be disgraceful to not thank someone for something they have done for this family out of the goodness in their heart." Neji gave a light smile and Naruto blinked giving an embarrassed smile.

"I appreciate this. It does make me happy." Naruto looked up at the sky. "I've never been thanked before for good deeds, or even appreciated for the things I've done."

"I've acknowledged that you are a good person when I had thought otherwise." Naruto looked to Neji who bowed his head in an apologetic manner. Naruto placed his hand out with an unsure expression, but gave a silent sigh thinking better than to stop this.

_I've been acknowledged by such a rich family. _Naruto grinned then frowned slowly coming to a realization about something. "Neji…"

Neji looked at Naruto and tilted his head to the side. "Hmm?"

"Why do I get this feeling no one appreciates you?" Naruto looked at Neji seriously who had a surprised expression on his face.

"What… " Neji stopped himself and closed his eyes. Naruto waited patiently for Neji to get his thoughts straight. After a few moments Neji looked back at Naruto. "How did you come to realize this?"

"It's just a feeling I had. I've seen you and Hinata-chan walking home a lot, but you're never with anyone else. You're the Student Council President, but no one talks about you." Naruto picked up his tea and sipped on it. "Also, your personality is much different than what I've seen at school. Why is that?"

Neji took a deep breath and glanced at Hinata. They shared a knowing look before looking back at Naruto.

"The Hyuuga family is well-known and respected greatly in Konoha. We are the nobles of Konoha and take care many of the affairs for the Mayor. Even with this reputation it is also thought that Hyuugas are quite arrogant because we are higher class than everyone." Neji looked down sadly. Naruto blinked slowly trying to understand, but didn't exactly get it.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata began making Naruto take notice of her, "it is true that many of the Hyuugas seem arrogant, but we are a proud clan of people. What people see as arrogance is not true. Because we are rich and take care of many things in Konoha with pride, people have come to believe that we do not care for others." Hinata gripped her arm and sighed.

"Wait… if you're really not arrogant then why do you act like that, Neji?" Naruto asked looking to Neji.

"If I act the way I normally am, people would verbally assault me more. I have tried it." Neji shook his head. "I act arrogant so that others leave me alone."

"That's just…" Naruto stared at the tea and gave a large frown. Sadness filled his eyes and he thought of his rough days in Oto of having no respect. "It's only at the people in school that do this…"

"Ah that's… Mmm, that it does seem so." Neji agreed. 

"Tch, that's not showing respect at all." Naruto pulled his head up. "Hinata-chan, do you get this treatment as well?"

"Yes, but it's because I'm shy and don't talk much. They assume I'm arrogant because of that." Naruto grit his teeth in anger before throwing his hands up in the air. Neji and Hinata stared at him with concerned looks.

"Just you watch… I'll help you out."

"What can you possibly do, Naruto?" Neji asked crossing his arms. Naruto turned toward him and gave a confident smile.

"You saw the isolation I broke with Gaara. I can do the same for you, just watch me!" Naruto gave a nod crossing his arms. Neji stared at him then gave a small laugh. "Eeeh? Don't believe me?"

"It's not that… I've just never seen someone who can think so positively, and give confidence to others with his words and actions." Neji smiled fully. "You're quite special, Naruto Namikaze." Naruto smiled bashfully rubbing the back of his head.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

**Earlier that day, an hour after Naruto had left.**

Sasuke waved goodbye to Obito as he and Itachi walked out of the UPFK building. Obito had invited Itachi and Sasuke to have a tour of the building. It was both of the boys' aims to eventually work there. Itachi was going to start training soon, and Sasuke would begin his training once he started college.

"They're really well organized, and Cousin Obito actually does well." Sasuke commented as they began to walk home.

"Indeed." Itachi agreed. "It's good to know about the organization before going to it. You really wish to do this? You don't have to follow the family line, Sasuke."

Sasuke stopped and looked to Itachi. Itachi stopped as well and gave Sasuke a curious look. "I really want to do this, Itachi." Sasuke replied with a smile. "I want to dedicate my life to helping people."

Itachi slowly smiled and rubbed Sasuke's head before they continued on. As they rounded the corner of the school, Sasuke heard someone shout his name. He stopped and looked around thinking that it was Naruto, but he couldn't have been back from the Hyuugas yet. Sasuke heard nothing else after a few moments and carried on.

"Sasuke Uchiha." The voice made Sasuke and Itachi stop. Sasuke looked up on the brick wall that surrounded the schools. There, sitting with his legs overhanging the wall, was Suigetsu Hozuki with a grin on his face. Sasuke frowned at him and crossed his arms. Itachi stared blankly as if he couldn't trust this boy that called out to his younger brother.

"What do you want, Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked neutrally.

"Ooh, you know my name. I'm honored." Suigetsu bowed then jumped off the wall to stand in front of Sasuke. "I want to talk to you." Suigetsu glanced at Itachi. "Alone."

Itachi and Sasuke exchanged knowing glances before Itachi began to walk off. Sasuke took a few steps back from Suigetsu placing his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

"I want to know what you were doing with my girlfriend." Suigetsu's face became serious with a hint of anger. Sasuke stared blankly at him not having a clue what he was talking about.

"I don't know who your girlfriend is, and even if I did I'd probably never go near her." Sasuke began to walk away. "You've got the wrong person."

Suddenly, Sasuke came to a stop as Suigetsu grabbed his arm. Sasuke turned to Suigetsu glaring. "My girlfriend's name is Karin. She goes to Konoha High. On October 6th, you and a bunch of your friends messed up Jugo's party." Sasuke tensed up.

_Great, we've been found out…_ "What proof do you have?" Sasuke kept his voice leveled to not be caught off guard.

"Karin described you perfectly. A boy with dark eyes and hair that was spiked upward and out like the feathers of a duck's end," Sasuke twitched that his hair was being described like a duck. "who she approached, but then was shoved around roughly by."

"What? I didn't hurt her at all!" The name came back to his mind. "She tried to seduce me…" Sasuke bit back his tongue realizing he had just made a bad mistake. Suigetsu made a laugh and placed an arm over Sasuke's shoulder.

"So it was your group of friends…" There was no denying the truth now. "And you think I'd believe you over my own girlfriend?" Suigetsu shook his head.

_A girlfriend who would cheat on you if she saw someone else she liked?_ Sasuke thought mumbling. _How despicable._

"What if she's lying and cheats on you behind your back? Do you know everything she does?" Sasuke challenged. Suigetsu stared at Sasuke then laughed. Sasuke frowned and tried to edge away, but Suigetsu tightened his grip on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Oh, I know Karin flirts with other people!"

Sasuke growled. "And you're okay with her doing that?"

"She's going to do it anyway. It's in her nature, but she always comes back to me." Suigetsu spoke with great confidence making Sasuke sick to his stomach. "Plus… I told her to do it."

Sasuke froze and tensed up. He stared into the purple eyes of this white haired boy. "You… told her to seduce me?"

Suigetsu grinned. "I did." Sasuke shoved Suigetsu away who started to laugh.

"What is wrong with you? You asked your girlfriend to seduce another man? What for?" Sasuke shouted angrily gripping his hands.

"Because you're one of my targets." Suigetsu snapped his fingers and came back up to Sasuke grabbing his arm.

"I… don't swing that way." Sasuke twitched and tried to pull his arm away. Suigetsu stared blankly than began laughing very hard.

"You idiot! I don't swing that way either. I meant as someone I find useful."

Sasuke's eyes widened when he realized what was going on.

Suigetsu had sent his girlfriend, Karin, to come after him. She was pretty, Sasuke wouldn't deny that, and because of her looks she could easily seduce men down. Once they were seduced and became her "boyfriend", Suigetsu could use them to his advantage.

"You're despicable, both of you. Does your best friend Jugo know about this?" Sasuke grit his teeth and was finally able to pull away taking several steps away from Suigetsu.

"Wouldn't matter if he did or not, he approves of what I do." Sasuke wasn't so sure since Suigetsu didn't actually say yes or no. "It seems like you understand what's going on. Well now, I can't let you slip away and telling your brother about it. We'd be reported to the UPFK."

"You bet you would be! There's no way you can stop me…." Sasuke stopped when he felt two hands grab his shoulders. He turned his head around to see two older boys with dark bluish-grey hair with long bangs that covered each different eye. Their bangs were on opposite sides making them only distinguishable from that. "Who are you?" He asked getting angry.

"These two are Sakon and Ukon. I wouldn't mess with them if I were you." Suigetsu came up to Sasuke and grabbed his head.

"So they're your enforcements in case you meet guys like me." Sasuke growled with disgust and didn't try to struggle knowing it would make the situation worse.

"You catch on quick. Here's the deal, Sasuke Uchiha. If you do everything that I say your friends won't be hurt." Suigetsu grinned.

"You can't do anything to hurt them."

"Oh? Well then why don't we find that Naruto Namikaze and prove you wrong?" Suigetsu laughed letting go of Sasuke and began to walk. "I believe he was headed toward the Estate District…"

Sasuke's eyes widened when he realized there were more people here. He saw three others in the shadows, but couldn't identify them. From the corner of his eye he also saw the redhead Karin. He gritted his teeth tightly. "You can't take Naruto down."

"Don't think so? He surely can't take all five of them." Suigetsu gestured with his arms to the three in the shadows and the twins holding onto Sasuke. Sasuke's stomach lurked when he realized Suigetsu was right. He suddenly became weary and stared at the ground.

"What do you want from me…?" Sasuke mumbled.

Suigetsu's face appeared in front of Sasuke; it made his stomach turn with the twisted expression he had. "Obito-sensei is your cousin right? I want to utilize his powers as an UPFK, and Sasuke," Suigetsu grabbed Sasuke's face, "if you don't listen we'll hurt your friends… And for Naruto we'll have special plans for him."

"I…. I understand." Sasuke gave in and bit his lip. Suddenly, he was let go. He felt his head being patted. He looked up to see Suigetsu and his friends leaving.

"Don't tell anyone, especially Naruto. You will also stay away from him, and spend time with us." Suigetsu laughed and waved his hand off as he disappeared around the corner holding Karin close to him.

Sasuke dropped to his knees and slammed his fists into the ground. Tears began to roll down his face.

_I'm sorry everyone… Naruto I can't keep our promise, forgive me._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Naruto-_

**Later that evening.**

Naruto bowed his head and gave Hinata a hug as he left the house. "Thanks for everything."

"And thank you for being understanding, Naruto." Neji bowed himself and held out his hand for Naruto. Naruto took it gladly and shook it.

"Of course! If you guys ever need anything just contact me!" Naruto began to walk off.

"Get home safely, Naruto-kun." Hinata shouted after him. Naruto turned and smiled at her before running off down the street.

Naruto eventually reached his house and stopped at the door looking over at the Uchiha's house. _I should tell Sasuke! But…_ Naruto looked at the time on his watch. _It's late. I'll just text him._ Naruto went inside and took off his shoes as he came in. "I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Naruto." His mother's voice rang from the kitchen. She came out a few moments later to hug Naruto. He gladly returned it. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yup! I learned quite a lot today." Naruto grinned as he took off his jacket to hang on the coat rack.

Kushina smiled at him then turned to head back into the kitchen. "Did you get anything to eat?"

"I had dinner with them. It was quite good." Naruto came into the kitchen and stared at the plates his mother was washing. "What did you guys have to eat?"

"Just chicken casserole."

"Aaaw. I missed it."

"Don't worry, sweetie, there are leftovers."

"YES! Thank you, Mom." Naruto hugged his mother from behind before heading into the hallway. He brought out his phone and began to text Sasuke about his day. He went into his room and grabbed his backpack. The least he could do was focus on his homework; otherwise Sasuke would yell at him again.

About an hour later, Naruto heard his cell buzz off. He reached over grabbing seeing a text. Opening it up, he saw that it was from Sasuke, but the contents made him frown.

"That's cool, Naruto. Glad you made some friends."

_Eh? That's so short… And he didn't even answer my question about how his day went._ Naruto replied back asking if something was wrong. A few moments later the cell buzzed again.

"I'm fine. Today was just really exhausting for me." Naruto didn't believe everything was entirely fine, but he couldn't be sure as this was a text. Another buzz came through before he could respond. "I'm going to head to bed, see you at school Monday."

"Is that all?" Naruto mumbled as he replied back before plugging his phone into the charger. He laid back against his bed with a frown. "He must be tired and busy if I won't get to see him until Monday." Naruto shrugged and got up to take his shower. "Oh well."

-oO0-o)

**November 5th, Monday.**

Naruto stared blankly at his history book. Sasuke had left early for school, so Naruto hadn't been able to walk with him. Even when he came to school, Sasuke didn't really pay any attention to Naruto. Naruto had tried to ask him what was up, and Sasuke just brushed him off with a "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

It wasn't like Sasuke to ignore Naruto like this, and he sighed greatly as he slumped in his chair. His eyes drifted to outside watching the other boys who were already eating lunch. Naruto's stomach growled making him sigh more

_Maybe some food will make Sasuke feel better._ Naruto tried to convince himself.

The bell rang and Sasuke left without Naruto as he had done with the other classes. Naruto frowned and gathered his things quickly to follow after him.

"Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke didn't even turn around and continued to walk; he even quickened his pace. Naruto slowly came to a stop. "What the…"

"Hey, Naruto!" Suddenly someone patted his back and he turned around to see Shikamaru and Choji. "What's wrong?"

"Ah… Shikamaru. It's Sasuke." Naruto turned his head to look back in the direction of his best friend. "He's ignoring me."

"Huh?" Choji blinked several times. "That's weird."

"Yeah…" Naruto agreed and sighed.

"Mmm, well I'm sure he's got something on his mind. Let's get to the lunchroom." Shikamaru suggested pushing Naruto to move. Naruto complied, but didn't really agree.

Gaara and Kankuro were already at their table when they entered, but Sasuke wasn't. Naruto went up to the table and hung his head.

"Sasuke hasn't come yet?"

"I have seen him, but he did not come here." Gaara replied. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru came up sitting down with his lunchbox, "seems like Sasuke is ignoring Naruto."

"Is there a reason why?" Gaara asked, concerned. Naruto shook his head not knowing.

"Have you asked him?" Kankuro questioned.

"I have! But he just says he's fine and to leave him alone." Naruto moaned and dropped into a chair. "I've asked him all day! I think he's starting to get annoyed by it." Shikamaru patted Naruto's back then pointed behind. Naruto turned his head around to spot Sasuke coming towards them. Naruto spirits lifted, but fell immediately when he turned to head towards a large group of people.

Everyone turned their attention to see Sasuke sit next to… Suigetsu. Suigetsu patted Sasuke's head and laughed before taking the food that Sasuke had placed in front of him. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes that Sasuke was hanging out with him of all people.

"What the…" Naruto gripped his hands and got up.

"Oye, Naruto!" Shikamaru tried to stop him, but Naruto kept going. He eventually came to the table and placed his hands on Sasuke's chair. Sasuke flinched, but didn't turn around. Although, Naruto did get the attention of everyone at that table including Suigetsu.

"Oh, do you want something, Namikaze?" Suigetsu asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I'd like to wonder why you stole my best friend." Naruto glared at Suigetsu. He felt Sasuke move in his chair, but still refusing to face him.

"Stole? What are you talking about? Sasuke came to us on his own." Suigetsu kept the smirk on his face as he stood up to face Naruto. Naruto took a step back, but kept his hold on Sasuke's chair.

"I don't believe it. Sasuke would never!" Naruto growled and reached for Suigetsu, but was stopped by Sasuke's hand. Naruto stared at him to see Sasuke staring with a cold look in his eyes. "Sasuke…?"

"Naruto, quit it. Go back and eat your lunch." Sasuke said with a chill in his voice. Something Naruto had only heard when Sasuke was looking at those that had hurt Naruto. Naruto couldn't believe that Sasuke had just used that tone with him. He twisted his hand around and grabbed Sasuke's arm. Then, he pulled him to his feet and began to drag him away. "Naruto, stop!"

Naruto wasn't listening. He was going to find out what made Sasuke become like this. Suddenly, Naruto was pulled backwards and thrown to the floor. He looked up to see Sasuke staring angrily at him.

"What is with you, Sasuke?" Naruto shouted as he got up quickly. "Why would you spend time with these guys? You don't even like them!"

"That's none of your business, Naruto! Just stay away from them and me." Sasuke growled. Naruto stared at him then felt anger built up inside. He swung his fist and hit Sasuke in the face. Sasuke fell to the floor with a shocked expression. For an instant, Naruto thought he saw grief, sadness, and regret fill Sasuke's eyes and face, but when he blinked it was gone.

"Sasuke! Tell me what's going on, I can help." Naruto urged as he watched Sasuke slowly stand up. Sasuke looked to him and glared.

"You want to know what's going on? I gave up on you!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto was taken back.

"What are you…?" Naruto didn't get to finish as Sasuke hit him in the face. It wasn't very hard, like Naruto's, but it was enough to make Naruto's anger begin to cool down.

"I got sick of playing these games with you, Naruto." There was an icy chill to Sasuke's voice. "I've always had to take care of you, and now I'm tired of it. You're always getting into trouble, and that gets me into trouble. I can't hope to be a UPFK if I get suspended a lot for your mistakes!" Sasuke turned his back on Naruto.

Naruto stared at Sasuke in disbelief. This wasn't the Sasuke he knew. This wasn't how Sasuke was at all. No matter what kind of trouble Naruto had gotten into, Sasuke was always willing to get him out of it no matter how much blame he had to take on. Sasuke even told him once that no matter how many times Sasuke would get some of the blame, he'd make his dream of joining UPFK come true.

The bell rang and Sasuke quickly ran out of the lunchroom. Naruto didn't move and merely stared at the floor. Gaara and Shikamaru rushed over and tried to get Naruto to talk, but he didn't even hear them. Soon, the lunchroom was empty and Naruto fell to his knees.

"Naruto…" Gaara knelt down next to him with a sad expression. "Naruto! Are you alright?"

Naruto slowly turned to Gaara. "Gaara…" he cast his eyes down staring at his hands. "You heard him, right?"

"We did, Naruto, but surely he's not telling the truth…?" Naruto could hear concern in Gaara's voice. He could also sense that Gaara couldn't believe that Sasuke would turn on Naruto.

Naruto stared down at his hands then placed them over his face. "His voice… it was so cold. It was what he used against the people that threatened me… He never once used it against me, not even as a joke. This…" Naruto smacked his face trying to hold back tears.

"Naruto, c'mon let's get you to the Nurse's office." Shikamaru suggested as he pulled Naruto to his feet and looped his arm over his shoulders. Naruto didn't say anything as Shikamaru and Gaara pulled him along with Choji and Kankuro behind.

-oO0-o)

**November 9****th****, Friday.**

The week flew by. Naruto didn't even remember it. When school was over, Sasuke was gone. Naruto didn't even try to follow him. He had tried to get Sasuke to talk to him, but so far all his texts, calls, and going to Sasuke's house had been ignored. Sasuke would be bitter when Naruto tried to talk to him in class, and he even asked to move away from Naruto's seat. Everything had gone downhill since Monday, and it didn't see like it was getting any better.

Even worse, Naruto had noticed that the entire school seemed to be glaring at him. He had seen those cold eyes of hatred that he had experienced in Oto. It was hard to ignore, but he managed to do so. He couldn't understand how it had happened, especially when everyone had given him respect for what happened with Gaara.

The only people that continued to associate with him were Gaara, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Choji, and strangely enough Kiba and Shino, although he rarely saw Shino. Kiba did seem to try to talk to Naruto more. At first, Naruto thought it was out of pity, but then he noticed that Kiba was trying to cheer him up. He took Naruto out on Wednesday, and he, Naruto, and Shino went exploring into Konoha. It had made Naruto feel better, but as soon as he had gotten home the pain came back.

Naruto continued to lie to his parents that everything was alright and placed up a façade of usual happiness. He didn't want them to worry, or to bother Sasuke with something he had to handle himself.

Naruto sighed. He was on his way home from school. He was staring up at the sky as he slowly walked aimlessly around. His intention had been to go straight home, but with his mind not being there he hadn't followed the correct path. Eventually, he stopped and slumped against a wall. A lamp above him flickered on as nighttime slowly approached. Naruto stared down at the ground blankly ignoring what was going on around him. Time drifted on quickly soon becoming late at night. Even when his cell phone began to rang out, he didn't move.

"Hey, you." A voice called out to him. He slowly looked over to see a few boys from his school staring at him. He didn't recognize them and looked away. "Don't ignore us! We're talking to you, you arrogant brat."

Naruto looked back them and stared. _Arrogant?_ When had he even acted arrogant? He couldn't recall what these boys were talking about. "You must be talking about someone else."

"No way." The boys came up to Naruto surrounding him. "You're the kid the Hyuugas gave special attention too." Naruto stood up straight at the mention of the Hyuuga name. His hands gripped inside of his coat pocket.

"They didn't give me any special attention." Naruto said defiantly. The boys rolled their eyes and shoved him a little. He didn't do anything against it.

"I heard you were invited into their house. No one gets to go there! They also gave you permission to come whenever you wanted." Naruto frowned. There were right about that, but what about that was special?

"So what. What does that have to do with this special attention you're saying I'm getting?"

"Tch, don't act like you don't know." Naruto was shoved again and this time harder. He was pushed against the wall. "The Hyuuga family rarely associates with others, much less lets people into their household! To be able to associate with them so easily, you must be arrogant just like them."

"Tch." Naruto gripped his hands tighter. "They aren't arrogant people! Stop making accusations about people you know nothing about!" Naruto shouted angrily. The boys were taken back, but glared eventually. They nodded to each other and grabbed Naruto then began to beat at him. Naruto winced at each blow and tried to defend himself, but was having difficulty doing so.

He was about to throw a punch back when Sasuke's words popped into his mind. _"You're always getting into trouble, and that gets me into trouble. I can't hope to be a UPFK if I get suspended a lot for your mistakes!"_ He stopped and suddenly felt hollow. If he continued to get in trouble that would just cause more trouble for Sasuke and that was exactly what he didn't want.

Naruto fell to the ground and the boys kept kicking at him until a voice shouted for them to stop. They panicked and ran off. Naruto wasn't sure who that voice was, but he felt someone call out his name and touch him. His vision was blurry and he couldn't see who it was. Slowly, he began to drift off.

"Sasuke…"

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Hinata-_

**The Hyuuga household.**

Hinata looked down sadly at Naruto. He was bandaged up and sleeping in the Japanese style beds that the Hyuuga family used. Hinata bit her lip as she remembered when she and Neji had come across Naruto as he was being beaten up by boys. When they got to him, he was hurt and bleeding. Neji was going to take him to Konoha Hospital, but Naruto refused to be sent there. He kept mumbling how it would trouble Sasuke. Eventually, Neji thought it was best to just bring him back to the Hyuugas because otherwise Neji had no idea where Naruto lived.

Hinata knelt down by the bed and softly touched Naruto's cheek. He groaned and mumbled something, but didn't wake. Hinata sighed and took the cloth off Naruto's head placing a fresh one on.

_Oh, Naruto-kun…_ Hinata curled up and was determined to stay by his side. She blinked when she heard a phone ring and looked around. She scurried around when she realized it was Naruto's cell phone. Picking it up, she looked to see who the name was. It read: Dad. Hinata looked to Naruto seeing that he wasn't waking, and decided to answer.

"H-hello?"

"Erm…Hi there." A man's voice, young, but with a small deep tone, answered. "Uh, may I ask who this is? I'm looking for Naruto, I'm his father calling."

"Oh, u-um, this is Hinata Hyuuga…" Hinata replied shyly. "Your son is right here next to me, but he's… hurt."

"What? What happened?" Naruto's father was suddenly serious and concerned.

"I-I'm not sure… my cousin and I found him being beaten up by boys. We were going to take him to Konoha Hospital, but he didn't want that…" Hinata bit her lip.

"I'm going to come on over, is that alright with you, Hinata-chan?" Hinata sighed relief.

"Yes! Please do. We were unsure how to contact Naruto-kun's parents. Do you know how to get here?"

"I do. I'll be over in about 10 minutes. Thank you for finding him."

"You're welcome, Namikaze-san." Hinata hung up the phone and placed it down. She smiled that she was able to contact Naruto's father.

A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist making her yelp. She looked over to see Naruto slowly sitting up and looking weary.

"N-Naruto-kun! You shouldn't be getting up…like…that…" Hinata blinked slowly as Naruto leaned over placing his head on her shoulder. She blushed greatly daring not to move.

"Was… that my dad?" Naruto asked weakly.

"Y-Yes. He's coming over to get you now."

"I see… Please… Hinata-chan." Naruto pulled his head up to look at Hinata. "If I said anything about Sasuke… don't mention it."

Hinata was surprised at the request. She was sure that Naruto had mentioned he was best friends with Sasuke, and that they were always together. "Did… something bad happen, Naruto-kun?"

"Don't… worry about it. I… I can handle it." Naruto eyes were glazed over making Hinata realize that he was holding back pain.

"Naruto-kun…" Slowly, Hinata hugged Naruto and held him close. He placed his head on her shoulder and lightly gripped her shirt. "Naruto-kun, why were you attacked by those boys?" Hinata asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, I'd like to know that, as well." Neji's voice rang out as he entered the room. Naruto didn't move to look at him. Hinata looked at Neji sadly.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun. We're here to listen." Hinata softly spoke as she rubbed Naruto's back.

It took a few minutes, but Naruto eventually was able to tell them what the boys had fussed about. It was clear that Naruto didn't fully comprehend why this had happened.

Neji was the first to speak. "This is our fault… It is true that we don't associate with many people besides the ones we do business with. They're probably jealous of you."

"Jealous…?" Naruto looked over at Neji who gave a nod. "Why?"

"Few people get permission to enter this household. Girls are kind of an exception because they are Hinata-sama's friends, but once a boy is involved they think he's been given special attention by the family." Neji sighed and hung his head. "It's a stupid belief that's run deep."

Hinata felt Naruto grip his hands tightly into her clothing. She could understand his anger feeling his frustration herself.

"That's so… stupid." Naruto mumbled out. Hinata nodded and he buried his head into her shoulder again.

A few minutes later, an attendant came in saying that Naruto's father had arrived. Neji told them to bring them here. Moments later, Minato came into the room and knelt by Naruto's bed. Naruto slowly let go of Hinata and stared down at the covers.

"Naruto…" Minato spoke softly and touched Naruto's head. "Let's go home, okay?" Naruto gave a nod and bit his lip as a few tears rolled down his cheek. Minato looked over to Neji and Hinata and bowed to them. "I'm very glad that you were able to find him. He's hasn't been answering our calls, so we were very worried."

"It's no problem at all, Namikaze-san. I'm just happy we were able to help him in time." Hinata bowed her head then got up and picked up a bag of clothing. "Here are his clothes. We gave him one of our kimonos. You don't have to return it."

"I'm grateful." Minato stood up and grabbed Naruto's hand slowly helping him to his feet. He halfway carried Naruto as he walked out of the room. Neji and Hinata followed.

Minato left out of the gate and placed Naruto into a car that was waiting outside. Hinata handed Minato the bag that he placed in the back seat. Minato bowed to the Hyuugas before getting into the driver's seat. The car started then drove away. Hinata watched after it staring sadly.

"Oh, I hope he'll be okay." Hinata gripped her arm. Neji gently touched her head.

"He'll probably heal physically just fine, but mentally? I think there's something there that needs a lot of help to heal…" Neji nudged Hinata back inside the home before shutting the door and locking it. Hinata stared back at the door as she walked back into her home.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-


	9. How We Met

Some of the context from Chapter 5's recollection of this day as been changed to compensate this chapter. You don't have to go back to reread it.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_**7 years ago. Early May, 2005. Oto Village.**_

_-Sasuke-_

Sasuke was sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree. He had a giant grin on his face as he rocked back and forth. Today was the day that his parents were supposed to come home from their business trip. He was ecstatic as he hadn't seen them for a month. A sigh escaped his lips and he stared happily up at the cherry blossoms.

_Mama and Papa will be home, and we can then go see the koi fish like they promised!_ Sasuke lightly giggled to himself.

"What are you so happy about?" Sasuke blinked and looked to his right to see his older brother, Itachi with an amused expression on his face.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke quickly got up and hugged Itachi around the waist. Itachi laughed and hugged Sasuke back. "Mama and Papa are coming home today! That's why I'm happy." Sasuke grinned largely up at Itachi.

"That's right, they are." Itachi patted Sasuke's head before picking him up suddenly. Sasuke gave a small yelp before laughing. Itachi twirled him around and fell back onto the grass holding Sasuke close. Sasuke smiled and stared up at the trees. "It's been such a while, and we've had to have Cousin Obito take care of us. It'll be good. He can finally return home!"

"Yeah! I don't want to trouble Obito-niisan anymore." Sasuke sat up and stretched. Itachi sat up as well and placed his arms around Sasuke and his head on top of his as he stared at the cherry blossom trees.

"The trees just started to bloom, haven't they?"

"Mm, yeah. I always like seeing them. It's one of few things I like about Oto." Sasuke sighed and looked up at the tree above them.

"Indeed so…" Itachi closed his eyes and began to relax while Sasuke continued to stare up at the trees. Suddenly petals began to fall down making Sasuke gasp out. He reached for them and held them in his hands.

"Nii-san… Look!" Sasuke held them up for Itachi to see. Itachi blinked at them curiously and looked up.

"That's strange… There was no wind, so why would they fall?"

"There're three of them! I don't really understand, but they're pretty." Sasuke smiled holding them gently in his hands.

Sasuke might have thought it was nothing, but Itachi was unsure. It gave him a bad feeling to see something unusual happen especially with a specific number.

"Itachi-kun, Sasuke-kun!" Their voices were called out and they both looked over to see Obito running toward them. Itachi's bit his lip with a sense of uneasiness come over him. Sasuke waved happily toward Obito and got up. With Sasuke off, Itachi stood up as well and ran to meet Obito halfway. Obito stopped and started panting greatly.

"Cousin Obito, what's wrong?"

"Itachi-kun…" Obito stood up straight after he caught his breath and glanced toward Sasuke before leaning in and down to whisper in Itachi's ear.

Sasuke rocked back and forth on his heels as he waited patiently to know what was going on. Although, his smile began to slowly fade from his face when he saw distress appear on Itachi's face. Itachi shook his head then turned to look at Sasuke. Sasuke didn't like what he saw there.

"Nii-san… What's wrong?" Sasuke walked up to Itachi and grabbed a hold of his sleeve.

"Sasuke… I…" Itachi turned away not wanting to look Sasuke in the eyes. Sasuke began to feel unsettled.

He turned his attention to look up at Obito. "Obito-niisan, what's going on?"

"Sasuke-kun… I don't know where to begin, but it concerns your parents." Obito knelt down and placed a hand on Sasuke's head. "We're going to go see them now, okay?"

"Yay! Finally!" Sasuke spirits rose and all unsettled feelings vanished.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Naruto-_

**Oto Hospital.**

Naruto blinked awake and yawned greatly. He rubbed his eyes smacking his lips some. He dazedly stared up to see his mother sleeping as well. Then he looked around to see his father, who was awake, and his grandfather who was currently in bed. Naruto slowly got off his mother and went up to his father.

"Daddy…" Minato looked down at Naruto then picked him up placing him in his lap.

"Ah, I see you're awake." Minato spoke softly so to not wake up his wife. Naruto nodded and yawned again. "If you're still tired, you can go back to sleep."

"No, I'm fine." Naruto turned around and reached out onto the hospital bed where his grandfather was. He saw his grandfather move and grab his tiny hand. "Grandpa, how are you feeling?"

A small laugh was produced before a small fit of coughing. "Naruto-chan, I'll feel better if you give me your smiling face." Naruto smiled greatly and gripped his grandfather's hand. His grandfather smiled softly back.

"Heh, I'm glad, Grandpa." Naruto looked up at his father who smiled back at him. Minato rubbed Naruto's head before looking down at his father.

"Father, the doctors said you can go home today like you wanted."

"Ah, I'm glad that they fulfilled my request to die at home." The grandfather smiled and leaned back against his pillow.

"You'll go into the garden with me, right Grandpa?" Naruto gave a puppy-eyed face. His grandfather patted his head giving a smile.

Even though Naruto's grandfather was on the verge of dying, it didn't bother him. He had only known his grandfather for 7 and a half years, but each day with him had been filled with joy. His grandfather had taught him many things all that Naruto took to heart.

A stretching noise was heard and Naruto looked over to see his mother waking up. "Oh, did I fall asleep? I'm sorry." Kushina smiled sheepishly making everyone laugh.

"Kushina, come here." The grandfather gestured to Kushina with his hand. Kushina blinked curiously and got up coming over to the bed. She sat down and tilted her head to the side. "My lovely daughter-in-law, how you've grown so beautiful."

Kushina blushed and smiled shyly. "W-what's this all of the sudden, Father?"

"I just wanted to comment upon that since the first day I met you. You've grown from such a tiny tyke."

"Thanks."

"You know, Naruto-chan is much like you: loud, hyperactive, impatient, impulsive, and inattentive." The grandfather laughed and Kushina gave a sour expression.

"Eeeh! I'm not like that anymore!" Kushina humphed and looked away.

"I know, can't I still tease you?" The grandfather laughed again patting Kushina's leg gently. Kushina sighed and hung her head mumbling to herself. Naruto laughed greatly at his mother who glared at him. He smiled big making her sigh again. Minato shook his head and laid it on top of Naruto's.

Eventually, all was quiet and peaceful in their room, but then Naruto strained his ears to hear something. He got off of his father's lap and went over to the door.

"Someone… is crying." Naruto noted looking toward his family.

"You hear it, Naruto-chan? Go comfort it… That child will need it." The grandfather nodded approvingly.

"Why do you say that?" Naruto asked tilting his head.

"His mother and father will be gone from this place soon… Go to him. He needs a friend." Naruto blinked several times then nodded and raced out the door.

"…The Uchihas. I hope Sasuke-chan, and Itachi-kun will be alright…" Minato mumbled softly.

-oO0)

"N-Nii-san… I-I don't understand…" Naruto heard a boy's voice hiccup as he rounded the corner. He had followed the crying, which hadn't been very far away.

"Mother and Father are hurt very badly, Sasuke…" Someone, the boy's brother Naruto assumed, replied softly. Naruto rounded the corner to see Itachi and Sasuke. Itachi was kneeling down in front of Sasuke holding his hands softly. Sasuke was crying greatly and shaking a little. Naruto gave a sad expression then gave a nod to himself at his grandfather's words.

Naruto came toward them and tilted his head to the side. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Itachi turned to him and blinked slowly. "Ah, well…" Naruto could tell he was having a hard time finding the right words.

Naruto turned to Sasuke and touched his shoulder. "Why are you crying?" Sasuke looked up at him breathing a little hard.

"Cause… Mama and Papa… S-something…" Sasuke hiccupped again and began to cry harder. Itachi held Sasuke close and turned to look at Naruto.

"A bad accident occurred and our parents were hurt badly…" Itachi explained softly. "They probably won't…" Itachi stopped unable to finish his words. Naruto nodded his head completely understanding. Itachi looked to Sasuke and stood up. "Sasuke, I'm going to go check on things. Stay here." Sasuke reached out for Itachi, but then Naruto tapped Sasuke's shoulder making him turn toward him. Taking this chance, Itachi ran off to find the doctors.

"My grandpa's leaving too." Naruto gave a light smile.

Sasuke was taking in sharp breaths, but managed to look at Naruto. "H-Huh?" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hand and led him over to a bench. Then, he sat on it and pulled Sasuke to sit next to him.

"He's going to leave very soon, and I won't get to ever see him again." Naruto stared up at the ceiling.

"D-D-Doesn't that u-u-upset you?" Sasuke asked as he tried to control his breathing. Naruto looked to Sasuke and nodded.

"But you know what? I'm sad, but happy." Naruto smiled again.

"W-Why?"

"Because he's happy! And even if he's not going to be around anymore, he's always with me." Naruto grinned.

"I…I don't understand." Sasuke stared confusingly at Naruto. Naruto pointed to his chest.

"My grandpa told me that even if he's not around, he's always going to be right here."

"W-what…?"

"Here, in my heart! No matter where I am, as long as I continue to think about him he'll always be with me." Naruto gave a soft smile and closed his eyes. "I'll continue to remember the happy things about my grandpa, and I'll know that when I think about him it'll make him happy too!"

"How will he be happy…?" Sasuke was finally calming down. Naruto opened his eyes and looked to Sasuke.

"Wherever he's going, he's going to always watch after me! He'll see everything I do, and I'll know he's right there with me even if I can't see him." Sasuke stared at Naruto then slowly looked down at the ground.

"I never… thought of it like that…" Sasuke gently placed his hands over his heart and closed his eyes. "Mama and Papa will always be here?"

"Yup!" Naruto kicked his feet back and forth. He saw a light smile come to Sasuke's face making him happy.

Itachi came back and knelt down in front of Sasuke. "We can see them, Sasuke." Sasuke opened his eyes and nodded softly. Then, he looked to Naruto.

"Can um…"

"Naruto!"

"Naruto-chan come with us…?" Sasuke asked biting his lip. Itachi gave a confused expression at Naruto. Sasuke turned to Naruto and held out his hand. "Will… you come with me?"

"Of course." Naruto took Sasuke's hand. Itachi grabbed Sasuke's other hand and began to lead the two boys through the hallways. Eventually, they came to a door and Sasuke swallowed hard. Naruto gripped Sasuke's hand encouragingly making Sasuke relax a little.

Itachi opened the door and looked over at two beds. There were two people badly hurt in hospital beds. Sasuke gripped Naruto's hand tighter as he ran between the beds looking left and right.

"Mama… Papa…" His eyes began to water. His mother shifted and opened her eyes. She reached down slowly and softly touched Sasuke's head.

"Sasuke …" A small smile crept to his mother's face and Sasuke couldn't help, but climb on the bed with her.

"Mama… are you going to… always be with me?" Sasuke suddenly asked. "Right here?" Sasuke pointed to his heart as he stared at his mother. His mother blinked several times then smiled again.

"That's right, Sasuke. I'll always be right there. Me and your papa…" Sasuke's eyes began to tear up more. He leaned down on top of her and began to cry again. Naruto leaned against the wall feeling greatly sad, but happy that Sasuke could talk with his parents before they left.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**A few days later.**

"What's this? You'll take care of the Uchiha children?" Obito asked, astonished. He was standing before Minato and Kushina.

"If you'll let us, of course. I know you have work in Konoha Obito-kun, and that it would be hard to take care of them." Minato replied.

"But under these circumstances I'm sure they'd let me stay awhile…" Obito gripped his arm. "It's not like I'm saying no, it's just I don't want to trouble you when you don't even know us."

Minato gave a smile. "Obito-kun, it's no trouble at all. It'll be much easier for us to take care of them, rather than you. It'll ease your worries. My father knew you since you were a child. I'm sure you remember him, so you know we will take care of them well."

"Ah, I do… I heard he passed away yesterday. I will miss him, but even so…"

"Please, Obito-kun. We want to help Itachi-chan and Sasuke-chan as best as we can." Kushina spoke up.

Obito looked at Minato and Kushina for a long while then slowly smiled. "If you insist then I will hand them over to you. Thank you for this, Minato-sama."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**A few months later, a little after Sasuke's birthday.**

"Ah! Naruto, are you okay?" Sasuke asked as he helped a dirtied Naruto to his feet. Naruto rubbed dirt off his face and nodded.

"Just the same kids again…" Naruto sighed then grinned. "I beat them up good!"

Sasuke gave an exasperated sigh, but when he looked into Naruto's eyes, he saw only pain behind that grin. Sasuke bit his lip then took a deep breath.

"Naruto, why does everyone pick on you?" Sasuke finally was able to ask after a month or two of helping Naruto up from fights. Before, he had never really thought about it, but then it happened so often that it began to make Sasuke a little bit concerned.

Naruto's grin slowly disappeared as a sad expression appeared on his face. "Dunno. They always pick on me, call me weak, and sometimes call me a monster. I know one thing though." Naruto looked up toward the sky giving a glare. "They always look at me _that _way."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, confused. "That way?"

"Like I'm something disgusting… it's full of hate. Even the adults do it." Naruto threw his fists together then grabbed Sasuke's shoulder smiling. "But that's okay; I have you now, right?"

"Yeah! I promise to always be your friend." Sasuke smiled back placing his arm around Naruto's shoulder. "Now let's go play at the river! I want to show you the koi…"

-oO0)

**September.**

Sakura let go of Sasuke and Naruto and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Sasuke and Naruto smiled shyly at her.

"You're welcome, Sakura-chan!" Sasuke said grabbing her hand. Naruto nodded his head in agreement as well. "What do you want to play on?"

"I… Um…T-The swings and slides." Sakura answered shyly.

"Okay!" Naruto raced ahead of the two to get to the swings first. "I'll push you on the swing Sakura-chan!"

"Eeeeh? You'll do no such thing, Naruto!" Sasuke gave a pouty face as he pulled Sakura to a swing and immediately made her sit getting behind her. "I'll do it!"

"No fair! I said it first!"

"I got here first!" Sasuke stuck his tongue out then looked to Sakura. "Hold on tightly!" Sakura nodded with a smile on her face, all fear and sadness now gone. Sasuke pulled the swing back and then let go. Sakura's swing went up into the air. As it fell back down Sasuke gave a push to get her back up. Naruto came up next to Sasuke waiting next to him. They gave each other friendly glares and when the swing came back down both of them gave Sakura a push. She laughed loudly as she went high into the air.

Again, they gave a push, but now Sakura was very high. At the highest point she let go and went flying giving a small scream. Sasuke and Naruto's eyes widened as they moved to run in hopes to catch her. They weren't going to make it.

"Sasuke, Naruto, where are…?" Suddenly, Itachi came around the corner. He had heard the yelp and raced over, but he didn't expect what happened next.

Sakura came flying down and landed right on top of Itachi. Itachi fell backwards and blinked several times as he stared up at the sky with hints of pink flashing in and out.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke and Naruto came into Itachi's view with sheepish smiles. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

"I…can I do that again?" Sakura laughed then realized she was on someone and got off quickly bowing. "I'm sorry!" Itachi slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his head with a smile.

"It's quite alright…" Itachi looked back and forth at Sasuke and Naruto before looking at Sakura. "Who's this young girl?"

"This is Sakura-chan!" Naruto answered happily. Sakura gave a shy smile and blush. Itachi smiled at her.

"She's our new friend, Nii-san!"

"Oh? A girlfriend?" Itachi grinned at Sasuke. Sasuke made a face as he blushed punching Itachi in the arm Itachi laughed then stood up. "I'm joking, but I'm glad you made a new friend." Itachi lightly rubbed Sakura's head. "Hello there, Sakura-chan. I'm Itachi, Sasuke's older brother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Itachi-kun!" Sakura smiled brightly.

-oO0)

Itachi gave Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura stern looks as they came up to him, drenched. He sighed and shook his head. "How am I supposed to explain this to your mother, Sakura-chan?"

"Erm…" Sakura hesitated and looked to Sasuke and Naruto. They looked back at her and all three of them stared for a moment. Then, they turned to Itachi and shrugged. Itachi placed a hand over his face.

"What were you guys doing?" Itachi asked as he led the three children into the sun.

"We wanted to catch a koi for Sakura-chan!" Sasuke answered as he sat down and shook his head.

"You're going to catch a cold if you do that! It's autumn after all." Itachi sighed again and grabbed a bag he had left on the side. "Here." He tossed the bag to Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned and pulled out three boxes each a separate color: Blue, orange, and pink. "What's this, Itachi?"

"You'll see!" Itachi laid down on the grass closing his eyes. Sakura and Naruto clambered onto Sasuke's shoulders to look as he opened up the blue one. All three of their eyes widen when they saw the picture that Itachi had took a few days ago. Excited, Naruto and Sakura grabbed their respective colors and opened the box to find their pictures in frames colored as the boxes.

"Itachi… Thanks for doing this." Sasuke said smiling towards his brother. Itachi rose up a hand as a "you're welcome." Sasuke rolled his eyes and fell back against the grass with Naruto and Sakura doing the same. Sasuke grabbed Sakura's right hand while he grabbed Naruto's left hand at the same time.

"We'll… be friends again, just like you said, right?" Sakura asked as she glanced over at Sasuke and Naruto.

"That's right!" Naruto shouted with enthusiasm.

"Hey, hey… that's pretty loud." Sasuke shook his head then looked at Sakura. "That's right. When we get older, we'll find you for sure! There's not much we can do being twelve, but when a few years pass we can do a lot more."

Sakura nodded a smiled closing her eyes. Sasuke and Naruto followed her closing their eyes. All three of them fell asleep under the warmth of the autumn sun.

Soon, evening came and Sasuke woke up. He looked to his left and right to see that Naruto and Sakura were still asleep. He glanced around to see if he could spot Itachi, and noticed him with Sakura's mother. Nodding, Sasuke gently woke up Sakura.

Sakura groaned and blinked awake. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"Your mother's here, Sakura-chan." Sasuke responded. He watched her sit up, stretch, and then sit there staring as if she was still half asleep. He couldn't help but smile at her expression.

"I… hope I get to see you again soon…" Sakura finally turned to Sasuke with a tear flowing down her face.

"You will. I promised, remember?" Sasuke lightly touched Sakura's face making her blush and nod.

Sasuke stared at her before blushing very hard, and then without thinking about it he leaned forward and gave Sakura a soft kiss on the lips. Sakura's eyes widened greatly before she slowly closed them. Sasuke stayed there for a few more seconds before reluctantly moving away. They stared into each other's eyes and began to inch forward again until a groan to their right stopped them.

They turned around quickly to see Naruto sitting up and rubbing his eyes. In an instant, they were apart from each other looking away. Naruto turned to them and stared blankly.

"Something wrong?" He asked with a large yawn. Sasuke shook his head and remained silent. There was still a blush on his cheek. Sakura stood up and shoved her hair behind her ears.

"M-My mother is here, Naruto…" Sakura answered as she turned to walk where Itachi and her mother was. Naruto's eyes widen and he quickly got up.

"O-Oh right… you leave today…. Sakura-chan!" Naruto ran up to Sakura and hugged her. She gladly returned it. "I'll miss you."

"Be safe, Naruto." Sakura smiled and took a step back away. Then she looked behind Naruto to see Sasuke coming up. She went up to him blushing again, but hugged him without reluctance. "You be safe as well, Sasuke-kun."

"Yeah, you too, Sakura." Sasuke dropped the -chan from Sakura's name after thinking about what he had just done. Sakura blinked at Sasuke then smiled, turned and ran off towards her mother.

Naruto and Sasuke watched as Sakura got into her mother's car. The engine started up then began to drive away. They both waved to the car until it was out of sight.

"She's gone…" Naruto said sadly.

"We'll see her again, though. We promised." Sasuke patted Naruto's back. _For sure… I didn't get another kiss after all._ Sasuke gave a small laugh rolling his eyes at himself. _We won't forget about you, Sakura._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

**2010, Winter.**

Sasuke stared at his homework blankly. He hadn't stared it yet because he was waiting for Naruto to show up, but so far he hadn't. He noticed Itachi glancing over at him from the corner of his eye. Sighing, he rocked back and forth in his chair.

"If you're worried about him, go find him, Sasuke." Itachi offered. Sasuke frowned and shook his head. "If you don't at least call him then, he'll never show up."

"I guess you're right." Sasuke sighed and pulled out his cell phone staring at it as he searched for Naruto's number. He pressed call and waited. The cell phone began to ring and ring, but no answer. Sasuke frowned and hung up glaring at his face. "Idiot!"

"Sasuke, don't get upset." Itachi came up to Sasuke and patted his back. Sasuke turned to Itachi and stared then he slammed his face into the table and groaned. "Go over to his house then."

"He better have a good excuse to why he's late…" Sasuke mumbled as he began to pack his homework into his book bag. He sung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed his jacket, and went out of the house. Sasuke placed his hands into his as chill wind blew around him. He shivered and shook his head giving a sigh. "He's late sometimes, but never this late…" _I hope he didn't get into any fights…_

Eventually, Sasuke reached Naruto's house and knocked on the door. He shivered as he waited for an answer. He frowned when no one answered and was about to knock again when the door opened with Minato standing there.

"Sasuke-kun? Is Naruto with you?" Minato asked before Sasuke could.

"Eh? I was about to ask you where Naruto was…" Sasuke bit his lip beginning to get worried.

"He left earlier today saying he was going to your house, but when he didn't call about getting there I began to worry." Minato crossed his arms with a very worried expression. Sasuke gripped his bag and turned to run. "Ah, Sasuke-kun!"

_Where is he?_ Sasuke's worry began to chance to panic. _Even if he went to buy food on the way to my house he wouldn't be this late. Something's wrong!_ Sasuke raced down the small pathways that led around the trees. He slowly came to a stop when he noticed great disturbance in the ground. _What's this? It looks like there were a lot of people…_ Sasuke stopped his thought in mid-sentence as he spotted something familiar on the ground.

Naruto's headband.

Sasuke knelt down and picked it up. He gripped it tightly and pulled out his cell phone dialing a number. _Pick up, pick up, pick up! C'mon, pick up, Itachi!_

"…Sasuke? Did you find Naru…?"

"Itachi! I think Naruto's in a fight! Get down to the Broken Pathway! Call Minato, too." Sasuke hung up his phone as he raced down the old, beaten pathway. As he traveled down it further he heard a loud ruckus up ahead. _No…_ He turned around the corner of a broken fence and stopped dead in his tracks.

There, standing amongst many hurt boys on the ground, was Naruto. His hands were bloody as well parts of his body were his clothes were torn. He was breathing hard and staring at the ground. Sasuke couldn't read his face as Naruto's back was to him. A few other boys were still up, but they looked terribly scared.

Sasuke took a step towards them biting his lip. _What is this? I know Naruto gets into fights a lot, but they're never this violent…_ Sasuke began to creep closer and closer until he was fifteen feet away from Naruto. Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to say Naruto's names, the remaining boys that were standing raced to Naruto to beat him up.

The first boy missed, but the second one was able to hit Naruto in the face. Naruto stumbled backwards toward Sasuke, but was able to right himself up. Naruto ran towards the boy that hit him and kicked him hard in the stomach. Then he turned toward the other boy and punched him hard in the face. The other boys didn't dare move after that. They weren't willing like the first two.

Sasuke had enough though. He raced forward and grabbed Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto!" Naruto turned on Sasuke and went to punch him. Sasuke's eyes widened as he grabbed Naruto's punch before it hit his face. Naruto brought up his other fist, but Sasuke grabbed it before he could do anything. "Naruto, what's wrong…" Sasuke stopped as he stared into Naruto's eyes.

For whatever reason, Naruto's normal blue eyes were _red_. Sasuke stared in disbelief on how Naruto's eyes could even turn red at all. Naruto grit his teeth as he pushed on Sasuke's hands trying to attack. Sasuke pushed Naruto back then kicked him to the ground.

Quickly, before Naruto could recover, Sasuke jumped onto Naruto and pinned his arms down. "Naruto! Calm down for a moment and listen to me!" Naruto struggled greatly not showing any signs of calming down. "Naruto! It's me, Sasuke! You're best friend, please…" At those words, Naruto stopped.

He stared up at Sasuke with his red eyes blazing brightly, but the fight in his eyes had died. Sasuke sighed relief when Naruto gave a blank expression before suddenly passing out. Sasuke blinked a few times before getting off Naruto and lifting up his head. _Naruto…_

Soon, Minato, Itachi, and the Oto police came into the area. Minato rushed over to Sasuke and Naruto asking what happened. Sasuke shook his head not knowing at all. He could only guess that Naruto had been attacked and pulled off, but he had fought back.

Itachi helped Sasuke to his feet and Minato picked up Naruto. The police let them going knowing Naruto needed medical attention. Getting into Minato's car, they rushed off to the hospital.

-oO0-o)

**A few hours later, Oto Hospital.**

"Minato…" Sasuke asked as Minato came to sit by him.

"What is it, Sasuke-kun?" Minato handed Sasuke a bottled water looking towards him. Sasuke held the bottle tightly in his hands.

He had had time to figure out what to ask Minato when he learned Naruto was going to be fine. He wasn't sure if Minato had the answers, but he had to ask.

"I saw… something strange happen to Naruto." Sasuke began.

"Strange?"

"His… eyes they weren't blue anymore when I looked at them…" Sasuke turned to look at Minato. "They were red and had a… vicious look to them. I was seriously scared that something had taken over Naruto… Do you know what it could have been?"

Minato stared at Sasuke for a few moments before turning to look out the window. He placed his hands together as he looked to be deep in thought. Sasuke swallowed as he watched Minato in silence. Moments passed and Sasuke was starting to get worried until Minato finally turned towards him.

"It happened when he was 6 years of age… I came home from work and Kushina rushed to me to tell me that Naruto had gone missing. I wasn't too surprised, as Naruto liked to explore, but Kushina looked frightened as she explained he had been gone all day. He didn't even come back for food.

"I went after him immediately. He liked to play out in the woods behind the house, which were quite dangerous at night. It wasn't night yet, but the longer he stayed out there, the more likely he could get hurt." Minato sighed and leaned forward staring at his hands. "It took almost an hour, but I finally found him…." Sasuke could see the next part hurt Minato.

"Was… he alright?" Sasuke dared to ask.

Minato shook his head. "He was hurt, and what was worse a strange fox I had never seen in my life before was standing before him. That had…" Minato stopped and shook his head. "I thought the fox had bitten him, so I became very worried it was rabid, but I could see that it wasn't. The fox was young… And yet, it didn't run away. It almost looked like it was trying to protect him when I approached. I grabbed Naruto from it and began to run back so I could get him to the hospital.

"What I didn't know until later was that fox had followed me back. As the hospital treated Naruto I saw that fox outside the window staring at me. I went after it. As I went outside it approached me and stared up at me. I reached down to touch it, but then a doctor called for me making me lose focus. When I turned back it was gone." Minato leaned back and sighed greatly.

"What color was it?" Sasuke asked biting his lip. "Itachi's told me about a lot of strange animals before. Maybe I can clear it up."

"Orange… bright orange." Sasuke blinked and frowned. _That's Naruto's favorite color…_ "And it had…red eyes."

"Orange with red eyes…I've never heard of such a fox… Nothing even close." Sasuke frowned as Minato looked toward Naruto's room then back to Sasuke.

"You said Naruto had red eyes, right?" Minato asked.

"I did…"

"And this fox had red eyes itself…"

Sasuke swallowed. "What are you getting at…?"

"I don't believe in mythical things, Sasuke, but after Naruto woke up he had violent fits when someone got him very angry. His eyes would turn red and he would lash out. What if this encounter with this fox did something to him? He was bitten after all." Minato stared up at the ceiling.

Sasuke stared down at his hands. _What…? A mythical fox bit Naruto and turned him? N-No way! That's just…_ Sasuke gripped his hands and looked up quickly to see Naruto come up to them. Blue cheery eyed, bandaged, and limping, but there was a sheepish smile on his face.

Sasuke got up and raced over.

"Ehehe, Sasuke, sorry to worry you." Naruto gave a laugh. Sasuke gripped his hands before hugging Naruto. Naruto blinked in surprised and stared at Sasuke. "S-Sasuke?"

"You idiot!" Sasuke pulled back and punched the top of Naruto's head. Naruto gave a small yelp and rubbed his head. "Why didn't you tell me this sort of thing happened?"

"I…" Naruto looked at Sasuke for a second before turning away. "I was worried."

"Idiot, idiot! I'm your best friend." Sasuke leaned his head on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto… I promise… I make this promise to last for the rest of our lives. I promise to always be your best friend, to never abandon you, and to never let you get seriously hurt every again." Sasuke looked at Naruto seriously. He could see Naruto was stunned by this as tears began to flow down his cheeks.

"Sasuke…" Naruto placed a hand over his face as he began to cry more. "I'm sorry."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**Present day, 2012. Konoha's main park.**

_-Naruto-_

Naruto stared up into the sky as he laid back on the grass with a photograph in his hands. A tear was rolling down his cheek. The memory gave him happiness, but at the same time a great sadness ached through him.

"…_I make this promise to last for the rest of our lives."_

"Sasuke… you promised, yet it's my fault you broke your promise." Naruto gripped his head tightly and gritted his teeth. "Did I just lose my best friend because of my mistakes? Someone, anyone… please what is the answer?"

**_Naruto._**

Naruto opened his eyes wide at a voice. He slowly sat up and turned around blinking several times.

There, standing behind him, was a small orange fox with strange red eyes and four tails swishing back and forth.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_I hope you liked this chapter. Tell me how I did!_


	10. Distance

This is a very long chapter. Yeah, I know. I write way too much. Anyone who's read Love's such a Drag would know that.

Anyway, enjoy!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**November 11th, Sunday.**

Naruto quickly got to his feet twitching and staring down at the fox. He wasn't afraid of foxes, but one with four tails made him extremely suspicious and freak out.

"W-what are you?" He shouted. The fox sat down and merely stared up at him. He bit his lip and swallowed hard. As Naruto ran his eyes over the fox, the orange color, red eyes, and tails reminded him of something, but he couldn't place it.

He shook his head. _I-I'll think of this later!_ Naruto thought as he slowly began to creep away. The fox continued to stare at him not following. Naruto continued to back away until he was a least twenty-five feet away from the fox before turning around and bolting off.

Naruto ran as quickly as he could away from the park, and went straight for the busy streets of Konoha's marketplace. As soon as he was in a place with many people he came to a slow stop and knelt over. He was breathing hard from running. He took as many deep breaths as he could before standing up straight and looking behind him. There were no signs of the strange fox. Naruto sighed and hung his head.

_Am I imagining things now?_ Naruto began to walk biting his lip. _It sure… seemed real. What if it was, what if something like that…_ Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as he ran into someone. He looked up to apologized, but his words caught in his throat.

Next to him, mimicking his surprised expression was Sasuke. Sasuke's face of surprise quickly went to a blank expression. He quickly turned around to walk off. Naruto grabbed his jacket to hold him back.

"Sasuke… Please. Just… just…" Naruto began to panic as he held onto Sasuke's jacket. His mind began to race on what to do, what to say, what to think when his eyes saw Ichiraku on the corner of the street. "Can… we just talk, please?"

"Naruto… I told you…"

"Just one meal of Ichiraku!" Naruto begged. Sasuke sighed and turned to look at him.

"One meal." Sasuke finally gave in and pulled his arm away from Naruto walking towards Ichiraku looking around at the same time. Naruto smiled greatly and followed after Sasuke.

_Okay… I can do this. Just get it straight from him. He has to have better reasons than the ones he told me. _Naruto nodded to himself as he followed Sasuke into Ichiraku.

"Welcome! Oh, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. Glad to have you two back." The old man, Teuchi smiled at them as they sat down. "What'll be? The usual?" Both boys nodded. "Ayame! It's Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun!"

As Teuchi and his daughter Ayame began to prepare the meal Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke…I um…"

"I know what you want to ask." Sasuke interrupted. "Why are you being persistent? You've been bothering me this entire week." Naruto looked over at Sasuke and gripped his hands.

"Because I'm worried and don't believe you would truly mean what you did!" Naruto was frustrated.

Sasuke remained silent and continued to stare down at the counter. Naruto watched him waiting for him to answer, but nothing came. Ramen was placed in front of them, and they began to eat in silence.

_This is ridiculous! Why… isn't this working? Why won't Sasuke talk to me…?_ Naruto slowly ate his food, but felt as it had no taste. He had a bitter feeling in his stomach. He thought being with Sasuke again would make him feel better, but there was only uneasiness and pain.

With their food finished they sat there in silence. Konoha's marketplace behind them began to quiet down as it was getting later in the night. Both boys didn't say anything for several minutes. Naruto was beginning to get impatient, but he refused to be the first one to speak unless he had to.

Finally, Sasuke gave a sigh and stood up. Naruto reached out and grabbed his arm. "Sasuke, did you really mean it? Those words? You couldn't have, could you? Am… I really that much of a nuisance to you after all these years?"

Naruto's felt Sasuke's body tense up, not in anger, but not in fear either. Slowly, Sasuke turned around with a cold expression on his face. "Yes. You've been a nuisance for a while. I was ignoring it, but now I just can't take it anymore, Naruto. We're through." Sasuke pulled his arm away and left out of the shop. He stopped on the other side of the flaps. Naruto stared at him and gripped his hands as pain flooded his face. "…Goodbye, Naruto…" Sasuke sprinted off leaving Naruto behind.

Naruto quickly ran out of the shop and stared after Sasuke as he ran down the street and disappeared around a corner. Naruto reached up placing hands over his face.

"Don't say goodbye to me with such… a sad voice…"

-oO0-o)

After his encounter with Sasuke that night, Naruto had gone home with even less strength when he began that day. He had hoped that Sasuke was just frustrated and angry at him for the recent fights, but those last words and pierced his heart that maybe things weren't going to get better.

Naruto entered his house and quietly closed the door. His parents were sleeping, so he softly went into his room, but a hand grabbed his door just before he closed it. Looking up, he saw his father with a concerned expression on his face. Naruto turned away not wanting his father to see he had been crying.

"Naruto… you came home late. I was about to call." Minato sighed.

"Sorry, Dad. I went to Ichiraku for dinner. I guess I lost track of time." Naruto tried to smile, but it slipped and he stared at the ground.

"Naruto, what happened?" Minato asked with a soft voice. Naruto shook his head. "Naruto."

"Dad, don't worry about it, okay?" Naruto looked up at his father desperately. He still hadn't told his father what had happened since the night Minato had come to get him from the Hyuugas. He didn't want his parents involved in this at all.

Minato sighed again and let go of the door. "We're here for you, Naruto. Please, if things get bad come to us."

"Sure, will do, Dad." Naruto mumbled as he closed his door. He pulled out the photograph that he had in his jacket pocket before taking off his jacket throwing it to the ground. He stared at the photo as he plopped onto his bed.

It was a picture of him and Sasuke at the end of eighth grade. They were grinning with their arms over each other, and behind them was a bloomed cherry blossom tree. Naruto gave a small laugh as he looked at what he was wearing.

It was his old getup of his black trench coat, collar opened white shirt, black pants, and a black headband. That was the time when Naruto had become such a rebel. It was also the most furious times of his life, but one of the most soothing at the same time. During those times Sasuke had calmed Naruto's inner 'demon', as Naruto liked to call it.

"I still haven't learned my lesson, have I?" Naruto glanced over at his black trench coat. When it began to get colder, he had stopped wearing it to school. It wasn't really meant to be worn during cooler weather as it was thin.

Sighing, Naruto placed the photo down and clambered off his bed. He changed into his pajamas before crawling into his bed to go to sleep. The last thought that crossed his mind was oddly not Sasuke, but that strange orange fox with the four tails…

-oO0-o)

"Naruto! It's time to get up!" A knock on his door and the call of his mother rung in Naruto's ears waking him up. He groaned and turned away in his bed. "Naruto!" He heard the door slowly open. He didn't want to be disturbed so he pretended to be asleep. Soft footsteps came across his carpet with a hand touching his shoulder and lightly moving him.

Naruto inwardly sighed and turned around to face the dark blue eyes of his mother. "Mmm, what…?" He asked as if he had just woken up.

"It's time for school, Naruto." Kushina smiled down at her son before kissing his forehead.

"Okay…" Naruto gave a nod and slowly sat up. Kushina lightly patted his head then hung his school uniform over the edge of the bed before leaving. Naruto turned to look at the uniform giving them a blank stare.

_I don't want to go to school…_ Naruto thought as he grabbed his uniform and reluctantly put it on. Sasuke would be there at school and he didn't want to even look at him after last night.

Coming out, Naruto pulled on his back pack and sat down to eat the food his mother had for him. He ate slowly still pretending to be tired. His father might know he's depressed, but he didn't dare want his mother to know.

Naruto finished his meal and began to head towards the front door. "I'm off!" He mumbled with a fake yawn. He turned to his mother and gave her a hug before leaving. As soon as the door was shut he slumped his shoulders and stared blankly at the ground. "I better get moving…" He mumbled as urged his feet to move.

Soon, Naruto was at the gates to Kitsune High. He stared at them gritting his teeth. He wasn't looking forward to today, and wasn't even sure he wanted to even set foot inside. Then, an idea struck him.

Naruto looked around before walking away from the school. Since he didn't want to go to school, he wasn't about to head there at all.

Naruto found his feet leading him toward the Estate District, and soon he ended up at Hinata's house. He stared blankly at the gate wondering why he was even here. What did he expect the Hyuugas could do for him? He shook his head. He shouldn't bother the Hyuugas with this kind of mess especially that he was troubling them by associating with them. Who knows if the isolation for them had gotten worse now that he had befriended them.

Sighing, Naruto turned away but stopped as he was face to face with Hinata's mother, Hatsuka.

"Naruto-kun… This is an odd time of day to see you." She smiled sweetly at him as she went to unlock the door to the gate.

"Err, yeah. I didn't really feel like going to school…" Naruto replied with respect giving a bow to his head.

"Oh? Why don't you come inside then?" Hatsuka suggested looking toward him. Naruto blinked several times and gave a confused expression. Hatsuka gestured for him to come in. "You must have your reasons, and you've come here of all places to skip school." Naruto gave a tiny smile and followed after Hatsuka closing and locking the door behind him.

Hatsuka went around the home until they came to the tea garden next to the large green field. She sat down on one of the chairs and motioned for Naruto to do the same. Naruto sat down politely placing his back pack down on the ground next to him.

"Would you like some tea, Naruto-kun?" Hatsuka asked softly.

"Yes, Ma'am." Naruto gave a smile as Hatsuka turned to an attendant. He shifted in his seat feeling a little embarrassed that Hinata's mother had caught him wandering about.

"Now then," Naruto looked to Hatsuka as she spoke, "what is troubling you?"

"I…" Naruto swallowed hard looking down. "I'm having trouble with a friend of mine…"

"Did you come to see Neji-kun or Hinata?"

"I came to see…" Naruto blinked slowly as he came to realize why he had come here and he looked up to Hatsuka. "Both of them. I don't know why, but… I feel as if they can help me even though I don't know how they could… Is that weird?" Naruto asked biting his lip.

Hatsuka smiled brightly and took her tea from the attendant. She slowly sipped on it as Naruto waited patiently for her answer. He sipped on his tea as well feeling soothed by the flavor. Finally, Hatsuka set her tea down and looked up to the sky. "I'm glad that such a kind-hearted boy has befriended my dear children." She looked back to Naruto smiling with such a gentle look. "Please continue to watch over them and be their friend."

Naruto blinked. "I…" He stopped. He had no words that could describe the feelings of happiness from Hatsuka's kind words. He took a deep breath and smiled back at her. "I promise to remain their friend for as long as I live."

Hatsuka gave a nod before getting up. "I'm going to let Hiashi know you are here. You may spend some time in the field until they get home." Naruto stood up and bowed his head to Hatsuka as she left the tea garden.

Naruto watched after her and leaned against the chair. "How could anyone think this family was arrogant? There is such tenderness and love here that it's painful to think they are isolated from the rest of the city." Naruto sighed and drank the rest of his tea before heading over to the fields.

He found a weeping willow tree and laid under it. Surprisingly enough, it was not too chilly of a day. Closing his eyes, Naruto began to relax until he had fallen asleep.

-oO0-o)

Naruto woke up with a start. He was breathing heavily with sweat rolling off his brow. He sat up quickly looking around. There were walls around him with no windows. There was a small light on a desk in the corner of the room. He stared at it before looking around the room again. He saw that he was in a Japanese style bed with a blanket over him.

_Where am I? _Was Naruto's first thought then he remembered he had come to the Hyuuga household, but he knew he had fallen asleep in the fields. _How did I get here…?_ Naruto crossed his arms frowning greatly. Slowly, he got up and opened the sliding door next to him. A shiver ran down his spine making him close the door again.

"Oh… it's cold outside. Someone must have brought me in to make sure I didn't get a cold…" Naruto gave a small smile and sat back down on the bed. He gave a large sigh laying back. He looked at his hand to realize it was shaking badly. He slammed it into the bed biting his lip.

He had had a bad dream. In that dream he was running after Sasuke who was always several steps ahead of him. But when he finally reached Sasuke to turn him around, there was no face. Naruto panicked and fell to ground, which became like quicksand. He was slowly being swallowed into the ground. He tried reaching out for the faceless Sasuke who only "looked" at him as he sunk slowly. Then, all became dark and a malicious laughter echoed throughout his mind. That was the moment he woke up.

Naruto closed his eyes as visions of his dream zipped through his mind. He opened his eyes back up and shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind, but he couldn't. It felt as if mind was telling him to just give up.

"Give up, huh?" Naruto felt depression wash over him as he again thought of Sasuke. Giving a sigh he got up, pulled on his coat, and left the room. Naruto wandered the hallway until he came to the front gate. He wasn't planning to leave; it was just where his feet had led him. He knelt down next to the pond and stared at the koi fish.

Memories of being in Oto flooded back into his mind. What he did not want, but did not try to push away. He had hated living in Oto because of how everyone treated him. He never knew why either. Although, after he got into middle school he began to make his own conclusions.

Perhaps when he succumbed to his 'inner demon', people saw him as such. That's why they called him disgusting, a monster, someone who should just disappear from this world. They were all cruel words that had pierced his heart greatly. Sasuke being there had soothed it, but now that he was gone that pain was coming back.

"N…Naruto-kun?" A voice, Hinata's, brought him back to the present. He slowly turned to see her there standing in her Konoha High uniform. She had a very surprised expression on her face as she came up to Naruto. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Hinata-chan… I…" Naruto looked down. He didn't want to tell her out here for some reason. Suddenly, Hinata grabbed his arm, pulled him to his feet, began to pull him through the hallways, and until finally they came upon her room which she entered shutting the door. Naruto was speechless wondering what had just happened.

Hinata turned to Naruto placing down her bag. "Naruto-kun… no one can hear us here." She smiled sweetly at him. Naruto stared at her then went up to her and placed his head on her shoulder. He felt her body jump in surprise, but remained still. Tears began to roll down his face as he shook with pain. He felt Hinata grab his hands and slowly made him and herself sit down. He kept his face on her shoulder.

"Hinata-chan… I-I… I don't… know what I'm doing anymore…" Naruto began as he tried talking through his ache. He felt Hinata hug him and hold him close. Her embrace was comforting, something he had wanted for awhile.

"What is it that you think you don't know what you are doing?" Hinata asked softly.

"I… I'm so lost… S-Sasuke is gone, and memories of my past keep coming back to haunt me…" Naruto reached out, wrapped his arms around Hinata, and clenched her back.

"What happened to you and Sasuke-kun?" Naruto felt Hinata place her head gently against his.

"We… had a fight… I, no… I don't know. He got angry… I did something wrong? He was upset at something I did. He thinks I'm a nuisance… he, he… said I was a bother to him. He got tired of being with me, taking care of me…. I… I cause trouble for him…" Naruto gripped Hinata tighter burying his face deeper. "That… was a week ago, I think? I… I saw him yesterday though and he confirmed it… That… no… it couldn't have been true! That… it wasn't…"

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata hugged Naruto closer as she let him cry. He wailed quietly out for several minutes as she lightly rubbed his back. Eventually, he wasn't holding her as tightly, and his breathing was slightly calmer. "What memories of your past are haunting you?"

Naruto swallowed hard trying to focus. "Sasuke… made a promise to me when… something really bad happened… I… when I lived in Oto… I caused a large ruckus by beating up several boys of the village… They… they came at me first though. I don't even remember what got me so angry, but I could… have killed them… Sasuke stopped me and told me he promised to…. Always remain my best friend, to take care of me, to never abandon me, or let me get hurt…. He said he would do that his entire life… But… now… now… Now he's so far away… he's…." Naruto began to shake as he found it hard finding the right words anymore.

"Oh, Naruto-kun…." Slowly, Naruto's face was left up so that he was staring at Hinata. He looked at her face to see such gentle eyes, and soft expression. Instantly, he thought of Hatsuka and of how much Hinata resembled her. Hinata held Naruto's face in her hands as she gave a smile. "Do you truly believe that Sasuke-kun has come to be like this after all you've been through?"

Naruto looked away from her eyes giving a long thought before looking back with a small nod. "I… went to confirm it after all…"

"Naruto-kun, how were you like the day before all this happened?" Hinata asked. Naruto blinked slowly. The question caught him off guard. He hadn't thought about how they were before this happened.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to think back about how he and Sasuke were before this occurred. The last time he had a normal, friendly conversation with Sasuke was November 3rd, the day he went to visit the Hyuugas. Sasuke had told him cheerfully that he was going to visit the UPFK with Itachi. Naruto had wished him luck telling him that he was also going over to the Hyuugas. Sasuke, in turn, had also cheered him on saying good luck.

He tried to go through the memory of that day until it struck him. That night, Sasuke had been acting really weird with his texts. He was blunt, uncaring sounding, and said words as if his mind was preoccupied. Naruto slowly opened his eyes to stare at Hinata.

"I… we were perfectly fine the Saturday before it happened. That was the day Neji invited me over. Sasuke was rooting for me, so coming here couldn't have been it. He was acting really strange that night as if something had happened…" Naruto looked down feeling a little frustrated now.

"Something must have happened that day that he can't tell you about." Hinata suggested as she let go of Naruto's face. She reached over and pulled up a tissue box for Naruto. Naruto slowly unwrapped his arms from Hinata and began to blow his nose and wipe his face.

"Something he can't tell me?" Naruto sniffed as he stared as his tissue.

"Yes… There must have been something he said to hint that something is wrong… Think back, Naruto-kun."

Naruto slowly began to think of the texts that Sasuke sent. He pulled out his cell and shifted through the texts until he came to the right ones, which read: "That's cool, Naruto. Glad you made some friends." With the next one reading "I'm fine. Today was just really exhausting for me." Naruto stared at the two texts trying to pick out keywords.

_Glad you made some friends…Today was just really exhausting for me. Made friends? Exhausting?_ Naruto hung his head when the only conclusion he could come up with was "Sasuke thinks his friends are exhausting…"

"Eh? Here, let me see." Hinata gently took the cell from Naruto and looked at the two texts. "Glad you made some friends? That sounds as if he is happy you found someone you could go to besides him." Naruto slowly looked at Hinata blinking. "And the next text about him being exhausted. Perhaps whatever made him exhausted made him fearful of the friends he had."

"How… do you really think that?" Naruto asked as Hinata gave him his cell back.

"Naruto-kun, you told me he wasn't one to be like this. I remember when you spoke so fondly of his kindness towards you. I think there is something going on here, something that has made Sasuke-kun push you away from him."

Naruto looked down at his tissue biting his lip. "Something that has made Sasuke-kun…" His eyes widened as he remembered the day at lunch. An important factor was missing.

_Suigetsu._

Naruto gripped his tissue tightly then hung his head mumbling. "No… I… there's nothing I can do though even if I knew the answer… I still don't know it."

"Naruto-kun." Hinata's change in tone made Naruto look up at her seriously. "Do you truly believe you can do nothing?"

"I…" Hinata placed a finger over his lip.

"You are a strong, kind-hearted, caring person who came to the rescue of a girl like me. Who cares and worries for his friends and family, even family who isn't related to him. You always stand up for your friends, and you stand up for those who are isolated like Gaara-kun, Neji-niisan, all of your friends…" Hinata lifted Naruto's face up to be more even. "Sasuke-kun is your best friend. He is your first friend, and has always been by your side. Are you going to let it all go? Are you simply going to give up because you don't know the answer?"

Naruto began to gape as the words of Hinata flowed through him. _Let it all go? Give up?_ "No…" Naruto gripped his hands. "No! I can't, I won't! I won't give up! I have turned on the very essence of what keeps me going… Never going back on my word!" Naruto gave a smile as he watched Hinata slowly smile and nod. He couldn't help himself and hugged Hinata tightly making them fall over backwards. He heard Hinata give a light squeal, but giggle at the same time as she hugged him back.

This is what Naruto needed. He needed these words, words of encouragement, reminder, and words of faith. He had lost all faith in himself thinking that he had lost everything that was important to him. But he had forgotten what was truly important: Friendship, family, love, and the guts to never give up.

He should have told his parents what was wrong. They could have given him these words, but he realized that they wouldn't have had that strong of an impact on him. He truly loved his parents with all his heart, but he needed someone who could understand his pain. His parents would forever support and love him, but they had never experienced the pain he had gone through. Hinata was his savior.

"Thank you… Hinata." Naruto said without the -chan giving a large smile that he suddenly felt much relief.

"You're welcome, Naruto-kun."

The sound of the door opening made Naruto turn his head to see an unpleasant sight. A panic expression crossed his face as he saw Neji staring at him and Hinata with a blank expression that slowly turned to anger.

Naruto swallowed hard. _I'm totally on top of his cousin in a really bad position!_

"Naruto Namikaze…" He heard knuckles crack and then he felt himself being lifted up into the air.

"AAAH! I CAN EXPLAIN, NEJI!" Naruto shouted as he was pulled outside.

"Neji-niisan!" Naruto saw Hinata chase after them as Neji dragged Naruto off towards the fields.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

**Next day. November 13th, Tuesday. Konoha High.**

Sasuke looked behind him noticing the empty seat of Naruto, again. Naruto hadn't come to school yesterday and it seemed as if he wasn't coming today either. He turned toward the front of the classroom and gave a sigh.

Desperately, Sasuke wanted to call Naruto and make sure Suigetsu hadn't gotten a hold of him. He was afraid that Suigetsu might have seen him and Naruto talking at Ichiraku's Sunday evening. The dreadful words of Suigetsu flooded his mind again.

"…_Stay away from him… If you don't listen we'll hurt your friends, and for Naruto we'll have special plans for him."_ Sasuke slammed his fist against the desk making everyone stare at him.

"Ah… Sorry, can I be excused for the moment, Sensei?" Sasuke asked neutrally. Obito gave a nod to Sasuke who got up and quickly left the room. Once outside the room, Sasuke headed down the hallway and out the door. He sat down against the building and buried his head in his knees. "I was being so careful… I… I really hope nothing bad has happened to him."

Sasuke sighed and pulled out his cell. He went to Itachi's number and began to type him a text asking "Can you… casually ask Naruto if he's doing alright? Don't tell him it's from me." Sasuke pressed send and left his head in his knees. Itachi knew that there was a strife between Naruto and Sasuke, but didn't know exactly why. Sasuke thought of the day he had left his house to go live with his cousin.

-oO0)

"_**I don't hate Naruto…." Sasuke mumbled as he pulled his suitcase to the door.**_

"_**Then why are you avoiding him?" Itachi asked as he came up behind Sasuke.**_

"_**I… I can't tell you, Itachi." Sasuke responded regretfully.**_

"_**Why can't you?" Itachi turned Sasuke around to see sadness on his face.**_

"_**Because if I do, something bad will happen, okay? Just let me handle this… please." Sasuke turned back around gripping his shoulder bag. "I don't want you, Minato, Kushina, or Naruto, especially Naruto, to get involved. That's why I'm going to distance myself from everyone. I will fix this, I promise." Sasuke gripped his suitcase as he opened the door to leave.**_

"…_**Sasuke, just don't wait too long. It might cause more damage than repair." Itachi warned as he watched Sasuke begin to walk off.**_

"_**I know… Nii-san."**_

_**-oO0)**_

Sasuke felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out to see a message from Itachi. Quickly, he read it and relief flooded his face. It read:

"Naruto says he's at the Hyuugas right now, but that he's fine. You better fix this quickly if even Naruto is leaving his house, and not going to school."

Sasuke gave a smile. _You're right, Itachi, but I'm still trying to figure out how…_ He sighed and clenched his teeth thinking what Suigetsu could possibly accomplish utilizing Obito's powers as a UPFK.

Feeling a little better, yet still frustrated, Sasuke headed back to class.

-oO0-o)

School went by quickly and even Suigetsu didn't really pester Sasuke. Sasuke had been tempted to sit with Gaara and the others, but he thought better of it. Associating with them would risk them getting hurt. He wasn't about to have that.

By the end of the day, Sasuke was sitting on Obito's desk staring blankly into the classroom.

"Sasuke…How long do you plan to keep this up?" Obito asked as he shifted through papers. He was in his UPFK uniform as he was on duty.

"I… until I figure out a solution." Sasuke answered. Obito gave a sigh.

"Alright then…" Sasuke felt a hand on his head making him turn to look at his cousin. There was a smile on Obito's face. Sasuke couldn't help but give a smile back. Obito turned to leave.

"Ah! Cousin Obito!" Sasuke shouted out making Obito stop and turn his head toward him. "I… there's something I want to say…"

"What is it, Sasuke?" Obito gave a friendly face and was being patient even though he had to get back to work.

"I… the main reason I'm staying at your house is that…" Sasuke opened his mouth to say his next words when he froze thinking he saw a flash of Suigetsu's hair pass by the door, but realized it was just someone with a wig. Sasuke bit back the real words he wanted to say and instead said "I really wanted to spend some time with you. Being away from Naruto is a reason too, but that's just to keep him safe."

Obito laughed and shook his head. "I'm glad you wanted to spend time with me, Sasuke, but I do hope in time you tell me what's really going on." Obito left the room leaving Sasuke by himself.

Sasuke slammed his hands into his face. He really did want to tell Obito what was going on. To end this problem with Suigetsu, so he could have his friends back, his life back, his family back, and his best friend back… But he had no idea how much force Suigetsu had besides the five he first encountered.

Sasuke brought his hands down and gripped them. The five that were the force that prevented Sasuke from getting help: Sakon and Ukon the twins, Jirobo who had great strength, Kidomaru who had great speed, and Tayuya who was very cunning. They called themselves the Sound Four, with Sakon and Ukon being considered one person. Each one was a pain to deal with even in normal conversation.

He had to find their weaknesses first in order to stop them, but he didn't know what those weaknesses could be. What could stop a pair of twins, someone with great strength, speed, and cunning skills?

Sasuke thought hard then slowly blinked and gave a smirk. _They never said I had to stay away from Itachi…_ Sasuke jumped off the desk and pulled out this cell calling up Itachi's number. _We'll just go out to eat just in case I run into Naruto._

-oO0-o)

Sasuke and Itachi entered the Chinese restaurant later that evening. It was a buffet restaurant, so they could find a place to sit without being disturbed or found. Itachi kindly asked for a table liked that, and they were shown to the corner of the restaurant. There weren't many people here, so it made it easier to be alone.

After they were seated and asked their drinks, they got up and grabbed food. Once they sat back down, Itachi looked at Sasuke seriously.

"Alright, so what do you need my advice for?"

"It's a strategy I'm coming up with to take down five people." Sasuke decided to tell the truth, but only part of it.

"You want to beat up five people?" Itachi frowned picking at his food.

"Not exactly. It's for a project at school, and I'm having a hard time coming up with how to defeat these five people." Sasuke munched on his food.

"Hmm, alright, what's making it difficult?" Itachi placed on a smile. Sasuke gave a half-smile/grin that Itachi believed him. He would be able to keep Itachi out of danger.

"Here's the setup. These five people each have different personalities and strengths, but I can't figure out their weaknesses."

"Oh? You're quite good at this, Sasuke. Why are you having trouble?" Itachi grinned jabbing is fork toward Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he stuff sushi into his mouth.

"Because…" He mumbled as he swallowed his food. "I'm not really sure what to use against them. They have strengths that are difficult to come up with a strategy."

"Alright, alright continue."

"The first two are twins. They have the ability to practically do sneak attacks on you with one being able to hide while the other is a distraction. The third is a large one who is very tall and has great strength able to take down many people. The fourth one is kind of tall and skinny and has great speed and accuracy. And finally the last one is very cunning in skill and intelligence..." Sasuke took a sip of his drink as he watched Itachi think.

"Sneak attacks, strength, speed and accuracy, and cunning with intelligence." Itachi placed his fork down and rested his chin on upraised hands. "What you should do is find someone who can match those."

"Match them?" Sasuke frowned not understanding completely. "Shouldn't I find their weaknesses?"

"There isn't much that's weak against such things, expect those that are stronger than them in those areas." Itachi picked up his spoon and fork. "For example, let's say this spoon is the person who is really strong, and this fork is someone who can match them." Itachi began to mash the two utensils together as if they were fighting. Eventually, he had the spoon between the forks points. "And with that, the person who could match them could take them out. That's all there is to it."

Sasuke slowly began to understand. _But who do I know that can match everyone in those areas…?_ Sasuke jabbed at his rice giving a frown. "This really does help, Itachi. I'll just have to think about who could do those things."

"I'm glad I could be of help." Itachi reached over and rubbed Sasuke's head making him give a pouty face.

-oO0-o)

Sasuke opened the door to Obito's house giving a yawn.

"Welcome back, Sasuke!" Obito came up to him grinning. "Itachi told me you already ate."

"Yeah, we had Chinese." Sasuke walked passed Obito and headed into the room he had been using, but stopped when he saw a woman with short, dark brown hair and brown eyes. She smiled at Sasuke coming up to him. "Um, and you are?"

"My name is Rin and I'm Obito's fiancée. It's a pleasure to finally meet his cousin." Rin offered her hand out to Sasuke who stared at it with a gaping expression.

"F…Fiancée?" Sasuke slowly turned to see Obito coming up and grabbing Rin's hand to lead her off. "W-Wait, you're ENGAGED Cousin Obito?"

Obito stopped and gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke came up to them glaring. Rin gave a small laugh with an amused expression on her face.

"I… uh… well… um…" Obito began stuttering with a high blush on his cheek. "I… no one really knew except Kakashi."

"HUH? Why would Kakashi-sensei know?" Sasuke was getting even more confused at what was going on.

"Because Kakashi, Rin and I grew up together." Obito simply said rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke blinked slowly and stared at the two. Then he looked at Rin and bowed.

"Erm, sorry about being rude."

"It's alright, Sasuke-kun. I understand." Rin smiled then bowed herself. "I'll be heading to bed." She waved to the two before heading into Obito's room.

Sasuke and Obito stared long at each other. Sasuke crossed his arms with a frown still upon his face while Obito tried to avoid looking at Sasuke's eyes.

"When did you get engaged?" Sasuke asked after a few moments of silence.

"A few months ago."

"How long have you been dating her?"

"For about a year and a half."

"When's the wedding date?"

"Haven't really set one yet."

"Itachi doesn't even know?"

"He hasn't mentioned it, but I'm sure he knows."

"Have you two done anything yet?"

"Sasuke!" Obito began to shove Sasuke into his room. "T-That's none of your business!" Sasuke looked up at Obito to see him blushing hard. Obito sighed and shut the door leaving Sasuke to himself.

Sasuke gave a grin and a small laugh rolling his eyes. _Clumsy cousin…_ He stretched as he began to change into pajamas. Eventually, he sat down to think about what Itachi said and this new event that had just happened. _Obito is engaged… _

Sasuke threw his hands into the air in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, you idiot?" _I know that Obito is fully capable to take care of himself, but whatever Suigetsu has planned it might also involve Rin if they found out! I have to solve this quickly otherwise people are going to get hurt…_

Sasuke plopped onto his bed and stared at the ceiling trying to push back Obito and Rin from his mind.

"Gotta focus on what Itachi said…" Closing his eyes he imagined the five troublemakers in his mind.

To counter sneak attacks, he needed someone who was better at them. Who could do that…?

Sasuke sat up and hit himself mentally. _Of course! I have everyone I need… I know I don't want to get them involved, but they'll end up bugging me sooner or later…This is for Naruto's sake. I have to protect him. He doesn't need anymore pain._

Sasuke reached over and grabbed a pencil and paper. Quickly, he wrote down many things before looking over it.

Someone who could counter sneak attacks was Kiba and his dog Akamaru. Kiba could also get his friend Shino to help. Kankuro could also assist them.

Someone who could counter strength was Choji. Even though Choji wasn't very tall and didn't look like much. He knew Choji was very strong once it came to his friends.

Someone who could counter cunning and intelligence was none other than Shikamaru. He was the smartest person Sasuke knew even if he was incredibly lazy.

Sasuke nodded slowly then frowned when he didn't have anyone who could counter Kidomaru… He wasn't sure if Gaara would be able to counter someone with speed. He would need someone who used was in martial arts, but he didn't know anyone for that.

_I'll find someone eventually, if not I'll just take care of Kidomaru myself. Now then… how to contact them?_ Sasuke laid back on his bed to think about formulating a plan, but Suigetsu popped to mind making him bolt up. _No… I can't involve them no matter what. I have to do this on my own… I have to._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Naruto-_

**November 14th, Wednesday. Hyuuga household.**

"Naruto, this is the third day you haven't gone to school. Missing too many is bad…" Neji scolded Naruto who sighed and hung his head.

"I know… But I can't face Sasuke yet." Naruto mumbled as he gripped his arm. He heard Neji sigh.

"As your Student Council President, I need to get you to go to school. If you really don't wish to talk to Sasuke I can have it where you work somewhere else, but you won't get the lecture from the teachers that way…" Neji tried to convince Naruto who stared blankly.

"Eh… fine, fine! You're right. I've missed five days, now making it seven. I only have eight more before I'm kicked out of school." Naruto laid back against the porch staring up at the sky. He understood the risks of staying out of school. It would also cause his parents problems, which he didn't want. He already had told his dad that he was just going to stay at the Hyuugas house for the time being until he had settled things.

"Decide what you want to do, I'm going to train." Neji turned and began to walk down the hallway. Naruto stared after him before turning to be on his stomach.

"Train?" Naruto blinked slowly then hopped up following after Neji. "Neji! Let me train with you!"

"Huh?" Neji stopped giving a frown.

"Please, Neji… I know how to fight, but it's… reckless. I'm not very good at what I do. I need to learn to be calming and I can't do that on my own." _Especially without Sasuke…_ Naruto begged bowing his head to Neji.

"Why do you want to learn how to fight?"

"I… want to be able to protect everyone." Naruto lifted his head to see a smile on Neji's face.

"Then come this way." Neji began to walk off again. Naruto smiled and followed after happily.

-oO0-o)

Naruto groaned as he got up from being beaten down. He had never met anyone that could best him in a fight… until now. He stared up at Neji who placed his hand out to help Naruto to his feet. He took it gladly and brushed himself off.

"You're really good…" Naruto took a deep breath then placed his fists out again.

"You have so much stamina… It's beginning to tire me out." Neji was breathing a little fast as they had been going at it for awhile.

"I don't know why, but I can last a really long time when it comes to physical exertion." Naruto grinned.

"I have noticed. Let's rest for now." Neji sat down and sipped on some tea that had been left by Hinata earlier. Naruto sat down next to him and looked up towards the sky.

Naruto felt relaxed, which he hadn't felt in a really long time. Being with the Hyuuga family gave him peace of mind, and to help him focus. He reached up and touched the necklace on his neck.

Blinking, he pulled it up and examined its beautiful color. As he stared at it he began to relax even more, as if it was soothing him. _How strange…_

"What's that necklace, Naruto-kun?" Naruto jumped at the sound of Hinata's voice. She was sitting next to him staring at his necklace.

"Erm um… Where did you come from?" He asked instead of answering her question then he shook his head. "Never mind. Um, this necklace? It was a gift from my father on my fifteen birthday last month."

"It's such a beautiful necklace… Looking at it makes me calm." Hinata smiled as she reached over to touch it. Naruto blinked at her. _Makes her calm? I wonder…_

"You know… I haven't…_turned_ since my father gave me this necklace." Naruto commented as Hinata was holding the necklace.

"The inner demon you speak of?" Neji asked.

"Yeah. It's weird, but this necklace really relaxes me."

"Perhaps there is something inside of it that does so. Looking at it actually relaxes me as well." Neji admitted.

Naruto gave a smile then sighed. "Neji… what do you think I can do to help figure what's going on with Sasuke?"

"Well… how about getting your friends to help?" Neji suggested.

"My friends?" Naruto frowned.

Neji looked toward Naruto and nodded. "Yes, your friends Naruto. I've seen them at school, worried for you. They even came up to me a few times asking if you were alright. They want to help you and Sasuke out…"

Naruto looked down and gave a small smile. "I'm such an idiot. You're right… Why didn't I ever ask them? Heh…" Naruto gave a nod. "Alright, tomorrow I'm going to get help from them, but for now… will you continue to help me train?"

"Of course."

-oO0-o)

**Next day, lunch.**

Naruto took Gaara, Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Choji outside where they could privately talk. As soon as he had gotten back to school it was evident that they had missed him. They all bombarded him with questions and even updated him with what was going on with Sasuke and Suigetsu.

Naruto was very happy that he had such good friends.

Shortly, Neji came up with Kiba and Shino. All three of them were in the first lunch hour, so Neji had to pull them out of class.

"Naruto!" Kiba went up to Naruto and grabbed his head. "You mutt, getting out of school and leaving us here to wonder if you had died or not."

"Eeeeeh?" Naruto frowned and shook off Kiba's hand rolling his eyes. "Ahem, now that we're all here… Let's get to what I wanted to talk about. Something is going on with Sasuke. We all know this. Suigetsu is definitely involved in this somehow. Whatever is going on, we have to figure it out."

"How are we going to go about doing that, Naruto?" Gaara asked.

"Hmm, we need to formulate a plan that lets us watch both of them. It can't be me because Sasuke will find out, and I bet Suigetsu doesn't like us together." Naruto gripped his hands.

"Hmm." Kiba placed a hand on his chin before looking to Shino. "What do you think, Shino? Would doing _that_ be a good idea?"

"It is the best way to handle such a solution." Shino answered. Naruto looked between the two.

"Heh, then let's do so."

"Eh, eh?" Naruto placed out his hands. "What are you two talking about?"

Kiba laughed and rubbed Akamaru's head. "Shino and I are very good at collecting information. We'll go after Suigetsu's group."

Naruto gave a smile and nodded.

"I'll help out." Shikamaru suggested. "I may not look it, but I'm quite good at analyzing things. I'll track down Sasuke."

"We'll join you, Shikamaru-kun." Gaara added in with Kankuro nodding.

"This will be quite difficult." Neji spoke up making everyone look at him. "Naruto, continue to stay at my house. I will keep things under control at school so we don't get caught."

"You mean… we'll try this at school, too?" Choji asked. Neji nodded. "What can I do to help?"

"Hmm…" Naruto began to think then grinned. "Choji, you can keep all the information we've collect. It'll be the safest with you." Choji gave a nod and smiled.

"Heh. Naruto… this is actually a solid plan." Neji commented as he looked around at the group of people. "You have… manly good friends."

"And you're a good friend too, Neji!" Naruto grinned. Neji blinked then bowed his head. Naruto stood up with everyone doing the same then he placed out his hand. He looked at the blank expression on their faces until Choji understood what was going on and placed his hand on top of Naruto's. Getting the idea, Shikamaru placed his hand on Choji's and everyone followed after. "We can do this. Let's save Sasuke and beat down Suigetsu and his little gang of people."

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted at the same time as the pushed their hands down and rose them up into the air clenching them into fists.

Naruto looked around at his friends smiling greatly.

_I really do have good friends…_

-oO0-o)

Weeks began to pass as Naruto and his friends gathered the information that they could. Thanksgiving had come and gone. Naruto felt hollow that he wasn't able to spend it with the Uchiha family. They had Thanksgiving by themselves on Sasuke's request, but that only pushed Naruto to try harder.

Naruto spent all the time he could training with Neji. He slowly began to improve. He even fought against Hinata who was just as skilled as Neji. His skills grew and he was soon able to defend against both of them without getting thrown down a lot.

Eventually, a month and a half had passed. Everyone was near an abandoned building looking over the information that Choji had placed together with the help of Shikamaru.

Apparently, Suigetsu's group consisted of himself, his girlfriend Karin, and a group called the Sound Four that was made up of five people. They were a set of twins called Sakon and Ukon with his three followers Jirobo, Kidomaru, and Tayuya. Each of them was very strong and skilled in at least one thing.

Suigetsu and his group had gone around stealing things throughout Konoha. They hadn't destroyed or damaged property. It seemed their main aim was just get things for "free". Sasuke was involved with keeping them safe and out of the UPFK's sight. He had been living with Obito, but was now seen to live with Suigetsu recently.

The hideout that they stayed in was in the Old City of Konoha where no one lived anymore. Gangsters had begun to occupy it making it a highly dangerous place. Shikamaru pointed out that there was a five way fork. Each direction was where one of Suigetsu's, including himself, were stationed at.

"Is that all?" Naruto asked as he looked around at his friends. Hinata had pleaded to come along to assist Naruto while Temari demanded she was to come to look after her two little brothers, Gaara and Kankuro. Naruto agreed and was happy to let them come.

Everyone nodded to Naruto. Naruto gave a smile and stood. He looked at his friends seeing his determination reflect in their eyes. He looked down the street that would lead them where Suigetsu and Sasuke were.

"Let's go!" Naruto shouted as they ran down the street. "Choji, remind us who's going after who."

Choji nodded and pulled out a piece of paper. "Kiba, Akamaru, and Kankuro are going after Sakon and Ukon. Shino and I are going after Jirobo. Shikamaru is going to go after Tayuya with Temari. Neji is going to go after Kidomaru. Naruto and Hinata are going to go after Suigetsu and Sasuke."

Naruto gave a nod and reached for Hinata's hand holding it tightly. He felt her grip back. He looked ahead to see the split in the road that Shikamaru mentioned about. Naruto looked towards his friends and nodded.

Kiba's group went left, Choji's group went right, Shikamaru's group went to the middle-right, and Neji ran to the middle-left. That left Naruto and Hinata to go straight down the middle.

Naruto stopped and watched his friends run in each direction. _Be safe…_ Naruto looked to Hinata and smiled comfortingly at her before racing down the middle.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

Sasuke gripped his hands as he stared at the ground in front of him. He was sitting on the couch that Suigetsu used for outside. He was at Suigetsu's little base of operations. Suigetsu and Karin were sitting on another couch having a little chat that Sasuke completely tried to ignore.

It had been a month and a half of pure horror. Suigetsu used every opportunity he could get to steal things around Konoha. Sasuke had to cover up for him using Obito's knowledge of the UPFK. Sasuke would get information from Obito about the police force. Where they were headed next, where they patrolled, and where they were strict with parts of Konoha. Sasuke used the excuse that he was researching for when he was going to join.

Obito hadn't realized it at first that Sasuke was using him, but he had eventually found out that Sasuke was doing something. Obito had tried to get Sasuke to tell him the truth, but Sasuke said he wasn't about to risk Obito's life especially with Rin there. Obito had been shocked at how far Sasuke was going. Sasuke left after that, taking his things, and began to stay at Suigetsu's house.

Sasuke leaned his head back and sighed at the memories. He had barely seen Naruto around, and hadn't even spoken to him. It had hurt him greatly to treat Naruto like this after all they had gone through.

_I… wish I could just speak to him again…_

"Sasuke!" Sasuke frowned when he heard Naruto's voice. _Am I hearing things?_ He lifted his head up and looked toward the entrance. He stood up quickly when he saw Naruto there with the Hyuuga's daughter, Hinata.

"N…Naruto?" Sasuke was greatly surprised at what was going on. Suigetsu and Karin came up next to Sasuke with glares.

"What do you think you're doing here, Namikaze?" Suigetsu asked crossing his arms.

"You have no business here you little mice." Karin sneered.

"I'm here to take Sasuke back, and to take you down after all you've done!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke watched as he and Hinata came to stand about fifteen from him. Naruto was looking at Suigetsu, so Sasuke was able to notice Hinata looking at him.

Sasuke stared at her then realized there was understanding in her face. He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it with Suigetsu here. He gave a small nod to Hinata.

_Naruto must have found out. This isn't good._

"Give me a break, Naruto!" Suigetsu growled now using Naruto's given name. "What have we done wrong? And as I told you before, Sasuke came to us on his own free will. He doesn't want to go back."

"That means," Karin added in, "you and your little girlfriend better turn back around and go away."

"We will not!" Hinata voiced in with her shyness. Sasuke blinked at her and swallowed. "We know how you've been using Sasuke to get to his cousin. You've being dodging around the UPFK to steal."

Sasuke's eyes widened when his conclusion was correct. He glanced to Suigetsu who had an unreadable expression on his face. Then he saw him snap his fingers and whistle. _NO!_ Sasuke clenched his hands and waited. The Sound Four did not appear. Suigetsu gave a frown and whistled again. Still, nothing happened.

"Where are those idiots?" Suigetsu hissed. "Fine, whatever. I can take care of you myself, Naruto."

"Bring it, fish face." Sasuke watched as Naruto gently pushed Hinata to behind him. He then saw Suigetsu and Karin approach them.

_Naruto… you won't be able to handle this!_ Sasuke watched as Suigetsu tried to attack Naruto. Naruto twisted around and grabbed Suigetsu's arm then punched him in the side. Suigetsu winced then tried to kick Naruto. Naruto dodged that attack and then finally kicked Suigetsu down.

Sasuke was surprised. He turned his attention to watch as Karin tried to attack Hinata. Sasuke was bout to move to help, but Hinata could handle her own. Using the same movements as Naruto, Hinata was able to push Karin back. Karin yelped and jumped away holding her stomach with a vicious glare at Hinata.

Suigetsu got back up and was about to attack when suddenly Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and Neji came up to the entrance. Suigetsu and Karin stopped and slowly took a few steps away. Sasuke's eyes widened staring at all of them.

_Everyone… They came…_ Sasuke had a soft expression cross his face. His friends were hurt, probably fighting off the Sound Four, but they were alright.

Naruto suddenly pulled Sasuke close and went to his ear to whisper, "Sasuke, remember that promise you made to me? I can protect you just as you protect me, but you forgot something important… We do this together. I'm your best friend after all! I won't let you get hurt or abandon you either."

Reality snapped into Sasuke. He suddenly realized how right Naruto was, and the mistake he had made for this entire month and a half. He took a step back and stared into the bright blue eyes of his best friend.

"Heh. I screwed up this time didn't I, Naruto?" Sasuke mumbled as a smile came to his face. "What was I trying to accomplish doing this alone? I'm not alone. I never was. I have you, Gaara, Shikamaru, Kankuro, Choji, Kiba, and Shino. Why couldn't I just trust all of you?"

"Cause you're too full of yourself." Naruto grinned making Sasuke lightly smack his arm.

"Idiot."

"You know it!" Naruto gave a laugh even making Sasuke laugh. The two stared at each other giving apologetic smiles.

"…Isn't this lovely…" Suigetsu's voice rang out making them focus on the problem at hand. "Just cause you're on the other side now, Sasuke, doesn't mean you've won." Suigetsu whistled loudly and the Sound Four came into view. They were hurt, but still able to move. Sasuke watched as Kidomaru jumped down and grabbed Hinata before jumping back while Tayuya came from behind and grabbed Temari moving to be with Kidomaru. More people that Sasuke hadn't known was part of Suigetsu's little gang appeared as well.

Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and Neji all jumped back and got into fighting positions.

"Just try it, Suigetsu." Naruto goaded. "Just cause you've got more people than us… doesn't mean you can win!"

"Don't get your hopes up, you pathetic piece of trash!" Sakon shouted.

"He's right, Naruto…" Suigetsu came up to the group shaking his head. "We'll win and get what we want. What do you think you nine can possible do against us, especially with your cute little girls in our possessions?"

Sasuke glared at Suigetsu then came up to him. "You want to know what?" Sasuke threw up his hand and punched Suigetsu hard making him fall to the ground. "It's because of our bonds, and the faith we have for each other. It's unbreakable and keeps us strong even when we're down!"

Suigetsu growled and waved his hands. "Get them!" Sasuke jumped back to his friends and prepared to fight.

-oO0-o)

The fight had lasted only for a short while, but they had won. That was, Naruto and his friends.

Sasuke walked up and pinned Suigetsu to the ground with his foot. "I'm sick of what you've put me through. I've had to break my cousin's trust, abandon my friends, and distance myself from everyone just so you could get what you wanted." Sasuke growled. "You probably thought this would make the bonds I had with my friends worse, but you were wrong. They actually became stronger, and now I'm going to thank you for it." Sasuke pulled out his cell and began to dial a number.

"What… are you going to do?" Suigetsu growled trying to get up.

"Oh… Just spill everything to Cousin Obito." Sasuke smirked as his cousin answered the phone and he began to tell everything that had happened.

Half an hour later, Suigetsu and his group were being arrested. Sasuke walked up to the ambulance that had a few of his friends there. Naruto winced as a nurse treated his wounds. He got up quickly when he saw Naruto and darted over with the nurse following after.

"Easy, Naruto…" Sasuke sighed.

"So Sasuke… how are you feeling?" Naruto asked with a smile on his face. Sasuke gripped the blanket that was around himself tighter.

_How am I feeling? After all that I did to you, that's all you ask?_ Sasuke bit his lip then hugged Naruto.

"What is wrong with you? Why aren't you furious for what I did…?"

"Cause, Sasuke," Naruto started as he hugged his friend back. "I believed in you. It took a bit, but I began to believe in you."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and sighed then pulled back shaking his head. A tear rolled down his cheek. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Anytime and forever, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned. Sasuke grinned back then blinked as Naruto raced around him. Sasuke turned around and saw him approach Hinata. Curious, he got closer, but remained far enough away. Neji came up next to Sasuke and gave a frown.

"Now what are they…?" Neji began, but closed his mouth when he heard Naruto talk.

"Hinata? I want to ask you something." Naruto took Hinata's hands in his. Sasuke saw her face flush up.

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Will you…go out with me?" Naruto asked smiling sweetly with a blush on his cheeks.

"…Eh?" Hinata's face became very red as she gaped at Naruto.

"What?" Sasuke gaped as well.

"You're joking…" Neji mumbled and sighed. "I saw it coming, but of all the places to…"

Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. _JUST what happened the last month and a half? I seriously missed a lot._

"Hinata?" Naruto began looking concerned as Hinata only stared. Eventually, she shook herself and gave a sweet smile.

"I… Yes, I want to. I… I um… I just have to ask permission from my father."

"Let me come and do it formally then." Naruto pulled Hinata's face close. "And…um…may I?" Hinata could only nod as Naruto leaned forward and kissed Hinata lightly.

"Naruto Namikaze!" Neji shouted as he went up to them. Naruto gave a panicked expression as he let go of Hinata and ran off back to Sasuke.

Sasuke grinned at him and nudged him in the side as he came up.

"So what's with this asking Hinata Hyuuga to date you?"

"I, whoa! You weren't supposed to be listening in." Naruto blushed rubbing the back of his head.

Sasuke laughed and shook his head. "We have a lot to discuss."

"Definitely, Sasuke. Let's do it over Ichiraku!"

"Ugh, you idiot…" Sasuke couldn't help but laugh as he and his best friend walked over to join the rest of their friends who were waiting eagerly for them.

_Mom, Dad. I hope you're watching over me. Look at all the friends I've made. Isn't it wonderful? Now if only… I could find _her_._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sakura-_

**December 21st, Friday evening. A few days after the incident at the Old City. Kitsune High.**

Sakura stared at Hinata gaping greatly. Hinata had come over to explain about the boy that had rescued her that fateful day. She had told Sakura and Ino how she encountered the events that followed after involving the boy and his best friend.

What Hinata failed to mention was that those two boys were Naruto Namikaze and Sasuke Uchiha. The two Sakura had been looking for since she moved to Konoha.

Sakura began to shake Hinata lightly with desperation. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I… I didn't know it was important, Sakura-chan." Hinata closed her eyes as she let Sakura shake her.

"Sakura! Be gentle." Ino cut in as she stopped Sakura from shaking Hinata. Sakura pulled back and felt herself shaking.

"I… I can't believe it. They were here this entire time… And I completely missed them! And you," Sakura pointed at Hinata, "have even been asked by Naruto to be his _girlfriend_ of all things!" Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. _I even spoke with Sasuke the day after Halloween. I'm so stupid!_

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan… I didn't know you were looking for them." Hinata bowed her head. "A-And with N-Naruto-kun it's not o-official yet. I have to get permission."

"Ah, don't apologize, Hinata-chan! Sakura is just a klutz and very forgetful." Ino gave a laugh. Sakura twitched and punched Ino in the head. "OW! Sakura!"

"It's fine Hinata-chan, I just…" Sakura soon came to a realization and stood up. "Where are they now? Do you know?"

"I think they're headed home, but Naruto-kun told me they were going to go on a trip with their families…" Hinata sighed.

"… Do you know where they live?" Sakura pulled Hinata to her feet and gripped her shoulders lightly.

"I-I know where Naruto-kun lives."

"That's good enough!" Sakura began to push Hinata toward the door grabbing their jackets. "Ino, let's go!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Ino came behind Sakura and closed their dorm door. All three girls raced out of the dorm and headed toward the gates of the school. Hinata took the lead and began to run to the other side where the boys exited out. She ran as fast as she could up the hill leading towards a few homes.

_Please let us be there in time… Please…_ Sakura gripped her jacket as she threw her hoodie over her head. Hinata rounded a corner and Sakura followed. She stopped as she almost ran into Hinata who had stopped herself. "Hinata, what's wrong…" Hinata pointed ahead of her. Sakura looked ahead and what she saw took her breath away.

She took a step forward toward the two boys. They were laughing with each other and giving each other light punches. She took another step with her hand reaching out towards them. Her mouth felt dry, and she could feel her heart begin to race. She took a quick breath and another step.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!" Sakura shouted out as tears began to flow down her cheeks. The two boys stopped and turned toward the girls. Surprised expressions laced their faces.

More tears began to fall down Sakura's face as she ran towards them.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

The next chapter will finally be their reunion! (is happy) That fox will also make an appearance, but the chapter won't focus on it. Chapter 12 will be dedicated to that.

If you have a suggestion of something you would like to see happen in this story, don't be afraid to tell me! I would love to write it if it will fit well.

Hope you liked this chapter!


	11. Reunion and Christmas

Thank you so much for all the favs and alerts! They keep me motivated.

Kindly give me ideas for the next chapters! Not sure how I'm ending it just yet, but most likely with the end of Freshman year. (Meaning I might make 3 sequels for each High School year)

If there's anything you might want to see, suggest and I could try to put it in. Otherwise it might go in the sequels depending on its content!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Sasuke and Naruto stopped and turned at hearing their voices. Surprised expression crossed their faces as they saw Hinata and two other girls. One of the girls was running towards them. They looked to each other not really sure who it was at first as she had a hood covering most of her face.

As she ran toward them, she tripped. Sasuke and Naruto raced over to catch her just in time. They could hear her breathing very hard probably from running so hard.

"Hey are you okay…?" Sasuke began but his voice caught in his throat when the girl lifted up her head. Memories of the day after Halloween flooded his mind. The girl with the beautiful green eyes was now in his arms.

"Sasuke-kun… Naruto… You're here…" She breathed out slowly. Naruto glanced blinked slowly not really coming to realize who this was.

However, Sasuke knew. He set the girl on her feet and slowly took off her hood. "Sakura…" The long pink hair flowed out of her jacket and tears rolled down her soft face.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked then his eyes widened greatly when he remembered as well. "S…Sakura-chan!"

"That's right… I've… finally found you two!" Sakura hugged both Sasuke and Naruto so hard that they fell over backwards onto their butts. They hugged her back each with one arm with their own tears flowing down their cheeks.

"You were in Konoha this entire time…" Sasuke mumbled out. "I don't believe this… Were you going to Kitsune?" Sakura nodded into his chest.

"How long have you and Naruto been here?" Sakura lifted up her head to look at the two boys.

"Since… September?" Naruto guessed not really remembering.

"What? Three months? I didn't know you were so close to me for THREE MONTHS?" Sakura gave out a large sigh then turned to Hinata who had come up with Ino. "And you… you were with Naruto for an entire month and a half!"

Hinata placed her hands up in defense with a sheepish smile. "I didn't know, Sakura-chan, remember?"

"Ah… you were friends with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked tilting his head to the side at Hinata. Hinata looked at Naruto and sighed.

Ino came over and bent down staring at Sasuke and Naruto. The boys looked at her as she looked almost as if she was trying to pierce through them.

"Um…" Sasuke started then twitched when Ino gave a squeal.

"You girls are so lucky. They are so cuuuuute!" Ino placed her hands in front of her face and wiggled slightly. Sakura punched Ino in the arm twitching.

"Inoooooo. Stop it!" Sakura got up and went to punch Ino again, but only to be brought back down by Sasuke who hugged her. She blushed hard and calmed down immediately.

"No more… Even if it's just play fighting, I don't want to see anymore for a long while." Sasuke sighed leaning his head on Sakura's shoulder. "I can't believe it's really you… I have my best friend back, and now the girl from my childhood. What more could I ask for?"

Naruto laughed and leaned his head on Sakura's other shoulder. "You said it Sasuke…" Naruto glanced over at Ino and gave her a smile. "So your name is Ino?"

"Ino Yamanaka of the Yamanaka Florists at your service!" Ino grinned. "I'm Sakura's best friend. I've known her since she moved here. The little pinky came into my parents' shop one day, but I was the only one there. I just randomly asked her if she would help out, and we got to know each other from that."

"So this is your flower loving friend." Sasuke commented giving a knowing glance to Sakura. Sakura nodded giving a giggle. Ino narrowed her eyes at them crossing her arms.

"Wait a moment… did you guys already meet before?"

"It was by accident, Ino. I saw him sleeping outside of Kitsune High on the day after Halloween. His mummy costume intrigued me to go investigate. I had no idea it was Sasuke-kun." Sakura blushed and rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Wow, Sasuke… real fail there." Naruto snickered. Sasuke hit Naruto hard in the arm. "Ow! I thought you said no more fighting?"

"You deserved that one." Sasuke glared then suddenly shivered. "Uh… I think we better get home. It's super cold on the cement."

"Err, right!" Naruto got to his feet and helped Sakura up off of Sasuke so he could stand up. "It's a bit late for you girls to be going back home alone."

"Ah… well that is true, but we'll manage." Sakura half-smiled.

"No, Naruto's right. C'mon, come to our place. It's not too far." Sasuke placed out his hand for Sakura to grab. Sakura stared at it for a few moments for tentatively taking it. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand leading her off.

"Well call Neji when we get to the house." Naruto suggested as Hinata leaned close against him.

"No, it's okay. He thinks I'm spending the night at Sakura-chan's house."

"Oh, that makes it quite simple then! Technically you're still at Sakura-chan's house, just with a few extra… 'guests'." Naruto laughed.

"That sounds bad the way you put it, Naruto-kun!" Hinata giggled shaking her head.

"Nyehehe. I can make it sound worse than that…." Naruto grinned making Hinata give a pouty face.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino remained silent as they stared at Naruto and Hinata. Curiosity burned in them wondering how they got together. Eventually, Naruto and Hinata stopped talking noticing that they were being stared at.

"Um…what?" Naruto asked blushing.

"You're spilling everything, Naruto." Sasuke half-glared. "We haven't had a time to talk about what happened at the Hyuugas."

Naruto blushed harder and turned away. "It's… nothing special!"

"Ha! You were never one to actually try for a girlfriend…" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Sakura smiled widely and looked back at Ino mouthing. "This doesn't feel real!"

Ino mouthed back with an "I know!"

Soon, Sasuke and Naruto came up to their house passing by Naruto's and going over to Sasuke's.

"Naruto-kun… Your house is right next door, so does that mean this is…?" Hinata asked looking over to the house next to them.

"That's right, Hinata! Sasuke and I live right next to each other." Naruto grinned and Sasuke sweat dropped.

"Living next to an idiot gives headaches. You should be careful with what you're getting into Hinata." Sasuke cautioned with a hidden grin as he opened the door.

"SAAAASSSSUUUKKEEE-KUUUN!" A voice shouted with much glee. Sasuke suddenly slammed the door shut giving a horrified expression.

"Was that…" Naruto started feeling a shiver roll down his spine.

"Oh god, that's the guy at Kakuzu-sensei's place!" Sakura muttered.

"You know him, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked hiding behind Naruto.

"Wow, he really is hyper just like you said, Sakura!" Ino laughed taking a step back. Sasuke frowned greatly and turned toward the girls.

"Wait, you went to Kakuzu's clothing shop?" He asked as he felt the handle turning many times and a constant "Sasuke-kun?" in the background.

"The Nibi costume was sabotaged, so we went there immediately…" Sakura responded then frowned and pointed a finger at Sasuke and Naruto. "Wait! Hinata saw the Kyuubi costume and Kakuzu-sensei said it was sabotaged and just brought in… Were you two the ones who brought it in? And were you the ones running from…?" Sakura looked back and forth between the door, Naruto, and Sasuke.

"Running from the idiot behind the door?" Naruto suggested. "Definitely."

Sakura hung her head and groaned. "How many times have we MISSED each other since you arrived here?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" Sasuke muttered. He twitched as he felt the door begin to force open. He pushed against it to keep it from opening.

"Sasuke, Naruto… What are you doing?" Everyone turned to the new face that appeared. Sakura freaked out when she looked at the new face thinking it was Naruto. She looked back and forth between Naruto and the man. Naruto gave a sigh and grinned.

"Sakura-chan, this is my father Minato. You never actually met him. You only met Itachi." Sakura slowly calmed down as Minato came up to the group. Behind him was Kushina who was smiling sweetly.

"What's going on here?" Minato asked looking between all the children.

Sasuke pointed to the door. "Tobi's in there." Minato shook his head giving a sighing smile.

"He probably took a chance and followed either Itachi or Obito here. C'mon, just come to our house. The girls can come too." Minato walked over to his house and opened the door going inside. Kushina came up next to Sasuke and pushed him aside.

She mouthed. "I'll take care of him." With a wink. Sasuke gave a sigh of relief and grabbed Sakura's hand quickly going into the Namikaze house. Naruto, Ino, and Hinata followed after.

Wanting to see how Tobi would react, Sasuke ran into Naruto's room and peeked out the window. Naruto came up next to him on the bed to watch. The three girls looked to each other and giggled before coming up behind them.

Kushina moved aside as the door came flying open with Tobi stumbling out.

"Huh?" Tobi blinked several times looking around. He looked very much like Obito without his mask on. It was easy to see that Tobi was definitely part of the Uchiha family. He looked to Kushina giving a surprised expression. "Kushina-san? Where's Sasuke-kun?"

"Hmm, Sasuke-kun? I haven't seen him today!" Kushina gave an innocent smile.

"What? But… I just saw him!"

"You must be seeing things, Tobi-kun! Why don't you go back inside?" Kushina suggested as she pushed a reluctant Tobi back into the Uchiha's house.

All of the children gave a sigh and turned to sit down.

"Who IS this Tobi character anyway, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked getting comfortable on Naruto's bed, which surprisingly could fit all five of them on there.

"He's my cousin's younger brother." Sasuke groaned.

"OH. Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke's shirt and began to shake him. Sasuke grabbed his arms and twitched.

"WHAT?"

"Is Obito really getting married to that Rin girl?"

"Yes! Gah, it's surprising, I know…"

"EEEH? RIN-SENSEI IS GETTING MARRIED?" All three girls shouted at the same time.

"Rin…sensei?" Sasuke turned to the girls blinking slowly.

"She's our English teacher!" Sakura explained. "I can't believe she's getting married!"

"I'm going to pry all information from her after the holidays!" Ino wiggled happily then slowly she realized something. "The holidays…That's right, Christmas is coming in just four days…"

"Oh… and we're going on a trip." Naruto mumbled. "I forgot about that. We were going to leave tomorrow morning."

Sasuke turned to Sakura feeling her eyes on him. He stared at her feeling sadness pierce him. "We aren't going to come back until the day before school started…"

"That's… That's not until January 7th…" Sakura gripped her hands then grabbed Sasuke's jacket placing her head into it. "I… No! I don't want to not see you and Naruto again even for a moment after how long it's been…"

"Then why don't you ask your parents if you can come?" Minato suggested as he came into the room. The children looked at him then back to each other.

"Do you really mean it?" Sakura asked as she slowly let go of Sasuke.

"Sure, I don't mind having more people join us. It'll give Sasuke and Naruto people their age group to talk to. And since Tobi is coming it'll give them the chance to get away easier."

"…What…Did…You…SAY?" Sasuke and Naruto shouted at the same time racing up to Minato and grabbing his shirt.

"Tobi is coming? Why is he coming?" Sasuke twitched and groaned loudly.

Minato laughed and gently rubbed Sasuke and Naruto's heads. "Why else would he be here?" Minato turned to the girls in the back then looked to the clock. "I bet your parents are still up. You better call and ask if you can come. If they ask who is the guardians tell them Minato and Kushina Namikaze, and Itachi and Obito Uchiha." Minato waved and left the room.

Sasuke and Naruto slumped to the floor. Naruto had an expression on his face as if he wanted to cry. Sasuke looked utterly depressed. Hinata and Sakura looked at each other then to Ino.

"Go for it." Ino whispered with a giggle. Hinata and Sakura scooted off the bed and knelt behind Sasuke and Naruto. Sakura hugged Sasuke from behind making him sit up straight and blush. Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck and came close to his cheek. Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino immediately watched them.

"N a r u t o - k u n." Hinata whispered out his name slowly. Naruto immediately began to blush very hard. Hinata turned her face and lightly gave his cheek a kiss before pulling back and giggling. Naruto's face went bright red then to slightly frustrated as he got up and turned to Hinata.

"You… you…" Naruto reached over and grabbed Hinata beginning to tickle her. Hinata squeaked and tried to run away, but Naruto wasn't about to let her escape after what she had done.

Sasuke and Sakura looked to each then back to Naruto and Hinata. Ino came over to them giving Sakura a knowing look.

"Was Hinata-chan… ever that bold?" Ino asked.

"No way! She's so shy…"

"Naruto!" Sasuke turned around. "Spill it now!" Naruto stopped staring wide eyed at Sasuke then began to blush again realizing what he was doing. He quickly got off of Hinata and cleared his throat. Hinata laid there trying to catch her breath as she let out soft giggles.

"Um… H-How about after the girls call their parents?" Naruto suggested. Sasuke narrowed his eyes then slowly nodded.

"I'll pass!" Ino smiled. "I'm going out with the Akimichi family. Choji wanted me to get used to his parents."

"Oh, that's right you're dating Choji. Forgot about that." Sakura grinned as she pulled out her cell phone and left the room. Hinata finally got up and went after Sakura to call her parents as well.

"Eh? Choji has a girlfriend?" Naruto asked, surprised.

"Shocking I bet!" Ino giggled twirling around.

"Definitely. He never once mentioned it." Sasuke stood up and stretched. "Wait… just how many connections do we have to each other?"

"If you know a Shikamaru Nara, that's another one!"

"Gah!" Naruto rubbed his head in frustration. "We fail so much at this!"

-oO0-o)

Naruto stared at Sasuke who was staring back. It was late at night, and the girls had been placed in another room to sleep. Sakura had easily gotten permission from her mother. Minato said he would take her over early to get her things. Hinata had a little bit harder time, but finally convinced her father if Neji was allowed to come. Neji would arrive with Hinata's things just before they left.

Sasuke sighed and rolled over. A smile came to his face. He was exploding with happiness that he almost couldn't hold it back.

"It's wonderful, isn't?" Naruto asked as he reached over grabbing the photo. Sasuke rolled to his back and looked at the photo of him, Naruto, and Sakura.

"Yeah, and I just can't believe it either. We're finally reunited with her. I was beginning to think she didn't live in Konoha." Sasuke murmured.

"Me too, but I haven't thought about her recently with everything that had happened especially since I was over at the Hyuugas' house." Naruto placed the photo down and moved his arms to behind his head.

"I can't believe that you fell in love though!" Sasuke sat up slightly staring down at Naruto.

"I know. I have a hard time believing it myself."

"The fact that you got to see her almost everyday really helped out…" 

"Yup! Otherwise, I think it would have taken me much longer to get to know her…" Naruto gave a smile then glanced up at Sasuke. "And you were already in love."

Sasuke's eyes widened and a blush came to his cheeks. "W-What are you muttering about?"

"C'mon, Sasuke. I knew you were in love with Sakura-chan right before we got into seventh grade." Naruto grinned. Sasuke gulped and turned away. "You never stopped… I was jealous at first, but I only had a small crush. When she moved away, the crush went away too."

Sasuke turned back to Naruto and blinked slowly. "Really?"

"Yup! But no way could I compete with an Uchiha." Naruto laughed lightly. Sasuke frowned greatly and rolled his eyes. "So what will you do about it?"

"Do about what, idiot?" Sasuke laid back down staring at the ceiling.

"About Sakura! Are you going to confess to her on this trip?"

"Mmm… I don't know, Naruto. Is that really the best thing to do just as we got reunited with her? If I do that we all can't really spend time with each other."

"Are you kidding? Sasuke! We can still spend time with each other. No matter what goes on between you and her, we're all still friends. That'll never change regardless if you're 'better' friends with her." Naruto smiled. Sasuke looked over and gave a smile then punched Naruto in the arm.

"Idiot."

"You're only punching me cause you haven't gotten to for a month and a half!" Naruto laughed and rolled to his side.

"Ugh. Remind why I came back?" Sasuke asked jokingly closing his eyes.

"Cauuuuuse, you love me?" Another punch came to Naruto's back this time making him give an 'ow' and a laugh. Sasuke sighed loudly.

"Just go to sleep before you end up not being able to move tomorrow."

"Gotcha, Sasuke."

-oO0-o)

"Sakura, you have to make a move on him!" Ino encouraged. Sakura shook her head and turned away. "Why not? I can see you favor him compared to Naruto, and plus Naruto is already taken by Hinata-chan."

"Ino-chan! D-Don't bring me in!" Hinata pleaded feeling embarrassed. Ino stuck out her tongue before turning to Sakura expecting an answer.

Sakura sighed. "For one, Ino, I don't even know if he has a girlfriend, and… I just met him again after 3 years… There's no way he has feelings for me still." She laid down curling up in her blankets. Ino gave a frown and crossed her arms.

"You better ask and try things! Or use Naruto and…" Ino grinned as she turned to stare at Hinata. Hinata placed up her hands.

"Oh, no Ino-chan! I'm not doing spying for you!"

"It wouldn't be spying! You'd just do some simple questioning through Naruto." Ino came up to Hinata and poked her cheek. "C'mon… I bet he knows everything about little Sasuke-kun!"

"Ino! Let it go! You won't be there anyway." Sakura groaned.

"Exactly! That's why I need Hinata-chan to do it for me!"

"Just let things come naturally, and go to sleep!" Sakura commanded.

"Fine, fine…" Ino sighed and finally laid down.

Sakura stared out the window giving a silent sigh. _I want it to work, Ino. I do, but I have to be realistic. It's been way too long since our departure…_

-oO0-o)

**December 22nd, Saturday morning.**

Sasuke yawned greatly as Itachi placed his bags into the car. Tobi was dancing around him so overly eager to be here. Sasuke wanted to die that very second. He hung his head as Tobi pestered him with questions that he completely ignored.

_How is he related to Cousin Obito?_ Sasuke sighed as he brought his head up to look over at Obito. Obito was with his fiancée packing up her things. They weren't going to stay long as he still had some work to take care of, plus he was going to go over to Rin's family as well. Tobi was going with them because Kakuzu wasn't letting Tobi have a long vacation either. That thought alone sort of lifted Sasuke's mood.

Naruto came up next to Sasuke with his bag. He placed it down with a large thump. Sasuke looked down at it and twitched.

"Naruto, what did you pack in here?" Sasuke knelt down as he poked the bag.

"Um, let's see. Clothes, manga, ramen…" Naruto began listing off useless things. Sasuke got up and punched Naruto's arm. "WHAT?"

"We're unpacking half of that!" Sasuke grabbed the bag and began pulling it away. Naruto ran after him.

"Sasuke, wait, wait, waaait! C'mon!" The boys passed Kushina as she came out of the house. Kushina sighed giving a smile.

"Don't be long boys." Kushina looked up to see her husband drive up with Sakura in the passenger seat. Kushina gave a silent squeal. Three girls were going to be on this trip. It made her happy.

Sakura got out of the car and went up to Kushina with a bow. Kushina hugged Sakura happily who blinked greatly in surprise.

"I'm so happy to meet the girl that kept my dear little boys company in Oto." Kushina smiled letting Sakura go. Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Ah, Kushina-san, please… I didn't really do anything."

"Oh don't be so bashful. It was quite a surprise to know that Sasuke and Naruto had another friend." Kushina turned and glared at Sasuke and Naruto as they came out of the house. They stopped and stared at Kushina with worried expressions.

"What did we do now, Mom?" Naruto gulped. Kushina went up to them and pointed back at Sakura.

"How could you keep quite about such a lovely girl?"

"I… uh… well…" Naruto stuttered.

"Itachi knew, as well." Sasuke said in his defense pointing over at his older brother. Kushina immediately looked over at Itachi. Itachi gave a glare at Sasuke before smiling at Kushina. Kushina threw her arms up in frustration giving a sigh.

"You boys! Keeping secrets from me." Kushina went over and hugged Sakura again. Naruto and Sasuke gave half-horrified faces.

_She's going to keep Sakura all to herself!_ They thought at the same time. They both inwardly sighed.

"Kushina-san, your water is boiling." Hinata popped up behind Naruto and Sasuke giving them a light fright.

"Oh! Thank you, Hinata-chan!" Kushina smiled going up to the house. "And this! My Naruto forgetting to tell me he was going to date this precious child." Kushina hugged Hinata as she dragged the Hyuuga back into the house.

Naruto groaned and hung his head. "My mom's sulking that she didn't have any girls…"

"Naruto, let your mother have her happiness." Minato smiled rubbing Naruto's head.

"You should have given her a girl then!" Naruto frowned. Minato grabbed Naruto's head and pointed it toward the car.

"Go pack your things away." Minato said firmly. Naruto bit his lip, grabbed his suitcase, and went over to the car to pack it. Sasuke shook his head as he came up to Sakura.

"Is this how you guys are all the time?" Sakura asked watching Naruto struggle to put the suitcase in the back.

"Almost everyday…" Sasuke sighed.

Sakura laughed. "It sounds like such fun!" Sasuke gave a smile at her then looked up to see Obito and Rin approach. "Oh! Rin-sensei, why didn't you say were getting married? To an Uchiha too!" Sakura grinned at Rin who gave an embarrassed smile.

"Obito wanted to wait until the right moment to tell everyone. I was fine with that." Rin smiled. Obito blushed and looked away then sighed as Tobi looked over his shoulder.

"Obito-senpai! When are we leaving, when are we leaving?" Tobi asked impatiently.

"When we're all packed, Tobi." Obito shook his head.

"Why does Tobi call Obito-sensei Senpai?" Sakura whispered looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned over to her ear. "Because he's an officer, so he's showing respect in his weird ways."

"Oh, I understand." Sakura smiled then jumped when Tobi was half-way kneeling in front of Sasuke and Sakura. He was staring at them with a large grin on his face. "W-What?"

"Sasuke-kun, what dirty things are you telling this girl? Oh, oh I know! Is it your undying love for…?" Suddenly Obito came flying forward and hit his face into the ground. Behind him was Itachi was a frown on his face.

Sasuke sighed greatly and gave a 'thank you' smile at Itachi before going over to Itachi's car. "Itachi, is it alright if I ride with Minato?"

"Sasuke, Minato only has room for three others beside himself and Kushina. You'll have to suffer, and since Hinata's cousin is coming that means you and whomever else you want to come is riding with me." Itachi rubbed Sasuke's head as he went into the Namikaze's house. Sasuke placed his hands on the car and gave a depressed sigh.

"Aaah, Sasuke-kun I won't bother you!" Tobi encouraged coming up next to him.

"Leave me alone to die, better yet go die yourself." Sasuke growled. Tobi sweat dropped and turned to walk off. Sakura laughed and patted Sasuke's back. "This is going to be a very long day…"

Soon, Neji arrived with his things and Hinata's. He packed them into Minato's car and bowed his head. Naruto gave a friendly punch to Neji who countered it back giving a smile. Hinata smiled at them as she helped Kushina pack the food. Sakura came up next to Kushina giving a hand to help. Sasuke remained leaning against Itachi's car listening to his iPod.

Once packed, everyone loaded up into Itachi and Minato's cars. Sasuke and Sakura were riding with Itachi, Obito, Rin, and Tobi while Naruto, Hinata, and Neji were with Minato and Kushina. Minato started up his car and began to drive off with Itachi following behind.

-oO0-o)

**Later that day, several miles away from Konoha.**

Sasuke helped Sakura out of the car as they finally came to a stop. It had taken about two hours to get where they were headed. They were at an old resort that hadn't been used in a while.

"Oh, where are we?" Sakura asked. She and Sasuke had listened to their iPods the way there to ignore Tobi.

"This is the old Uchiha resort, but it's barely in use anymore since our parents died." Itachi answered as he came out of the car.

"Was this your vacation home?" Sakura pondered as she took a few steps toward it.

"That's right!" Itachi grinned as he patted Sakura on the head. Minato came up to him and gestured toward the house. "Sasuke, give your friends a tour. We need to get the houses heating up. Minato forgot to do that earlier."

"Ah, lame. Now we're out here in the freezing cold…" Sasuke mumbled. Itachi gave him a smile before grabbing Tobi, who was about to go to Sasuke, and followed after Obito, Rin, Kushina, and Minato.

Naruto, Hinata, and Neji came up to Sasuke and Sakura stretching.

"So, where should we show them first, Sasuke?" Naruto asked as he stuck his hands in his pockets. Sasuke crossed his arms as he begun to think.

"The river's probably partly frozen, and since the sun has been hiding today climbing would be difficult…" Sasuke sighed.

"Oh! We could show them the hot spring!" Naruto suggested excitedly. "It's going to take a bit for the house to warm up, and Dad can always buzz my cell when it's time to help unpack."

Sasuke gave a nod then looked to his friends. "Is that alright with you three?"

"A hot spring sounds awesome!" Sakura grinned. "We could warm up a little."

"That is fine with me." Neji replied.

"It's been awhile since I've been to a hot spring." Hinata answered cheerfully. Sasuke nodded and began to walk off as he dug his hands into his jacket. Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and followed after with Neji on his other side. Sakura caught up with Sasuke and walked besides him.

The area they were in was very crisp and full of many trees, which surrounded the resort in a semi-circle. Many of them were dead considering winter had finally set in, although it had yet to snow this year. A bank off to the left of the resort had a river that was barely flowing thanks to the ice that had frozen part of it as Sasuke had thought. It was a small river that could easily be hopped over. On the other side of the river where small trees and bushes that created a forest like area. Some of the bushes were white and soft looking turning with the season.

Sasuke and Naruto led the group next to the river. They were heading upstream to where the river flowed over the side of a small mountain that was right next to resort. When they reached the small waterfall, Sasuke went around the side and stopped at the stairs that were carved into the rock. He placed one foot on them and slid it back and forth.

"It's stable enough to walk on, but I'd suggest using the handrails as much as possible. Also, one person at a time, so I'll go first, Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, and then Neji." Sasuke grabbed onto the robe handrails that had been made to grip onto. Sasuke made it to the top without slipping. He turned around and waited for Sakura to proceed up.

Sakura reached out and gripped the rails as she slowly began to ascend the stairs. Just as she was about the reach the top, she slipped.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled as he was about to race up the stairs to catch her, but thankfully Sasuke had reached out and caught her hand. Both of them hung suspended in the air until Sasuke pulled Sakura up to him. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief as he began to walk up the stairs.

Sasuke took a few steps back holding onto Sakura as he looked down at the others. _That was dangerous. I'll ask Itachi or Minato to salt these stairs._ Sasuke looked down at Sakura softly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yup!" Sakura said shakily. "Just nearly had a heart attack, though." Sasuke gave a chuckle rolling his eyes.

Eventually, everyone made it up safely and they began to walk again. Sasuke and Naruto led them around the base river until it was blocked off by a rock formation. They went around the corner and it suddenly became much warmer.

Eyes widen, they saw the open, natural hot spring with steam coming out. Naruto grinned as he knelt next to it and placed his hands out. "So waaaaaarm." Naruto mumbled as he took his gloves off.

"Don't sit too close, or you'll fall in, idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto moved forward anyway. _I'm tempted to kick him in…_

"This is so lovely!" Sakura commented pulling Hinata over to the spring. She placed her arms out feeling the warmth seep through her. "I definitely want to hop into this later."

"We can, but probably not until after Christmas." Sasuke responded as he leaned against a rock watching the three warm up.

Naruto pouted his face then sighed. _Oh well…_ Suddenly, he heard a noise making him look up and around. His eyes caught on a movement in the bushes just beyond the rocks. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see what it was then a black nose popped out sniffing. _A wild animal! I wonder what it…_ Naruto's eyes began to wide as the animal came out of the bush more. It was that fox he had seen in the park. "AH!" Naruto shouted getting up really quickly, but being so close to the edge of the hot spring he began to lose his balance.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted jumping out to grab him. Naruto was falling backwards into the spring just as Sasuke grabbed his hand. Sasuke, unfortunately, lost his balance as well and started to fall. Neji reached out to try and pull Sasuke, but he couldn't handle the weight of the two boys and all three of them fell into the hot spring.

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Neji-san!" Sakura shouted then sighed relief when she saw the three boys come out of the water and crawl back onto the rock. "Are you three alright?"

"To… a point…" Neji replied as he stood up. "That… is really hot water."

Sasuke began to take his jacket off and shook it to get the water out. "Naruto, what were you doing?"

"There was an orange fox over there!" Naruto pointed to beyond the bushes, but blinked that the fox he had seen was now gone. Sasuke looked over then frowned greatly when he saw nothing.

"What are you talking about? You screamed for something you thought you saw?"

"I didn't THINK I saw it, I KNOW I saw it!" Naruto growled as he began to shiver.

"Whatever…" Sasuke rolled his eyes and wrapped arms around himself as he began to shiver as well.

"We should head back…" Sakura suggested as she began to head towards the stairs. The boys nodded and followed after her with Hinata behind.

-oO0-o)

Minato sighed as Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji went off to take showers. It was to help prevent them getting sick. Sakura and Hinata grinned at each as they watched them walk off.

"Do they have extra clothes?" Hinata asked as she and Sakura followed Minato outside.

"We haven't brought in their bags yet, would you help me with that?" Minato requested as he went up to his car.

"Of course, Namikaze-san." Hinata replied with a smile. Sakura nodded in agreement.

"Good! And please, just call me Minato."

**An hour later.**

Sakura and Hinata sat down in front of the fire as the last bags of things had been brought in. They were out of their winter jackets with warm coco in their hands. Being as they helped bring things in they didn't have to help with the cleaning. Sasuke, Naruto, and Neji were sent to work as soon as they had gotten out of their showers.

Sakura leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "Hinata-chan?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?" Hinata responded looking down at Sakura.

"Why do you love Naruto?"

Hinata choked on her coco as the question caught her off guard. Sakura sweat dropped as she sat up to pat Hinata's back. Hinata looked to Sakura with wide eyes. "W-W-Why do you want to know?"

"Sorry, I'm just a bit curious." Sakura smiled sheepishly.

"Is this about Sasuke-kun?"

"Ah… No, I'm really curious what you see in him. He's not a bad person, but he's loud, hyperactive, and gets carried away." Sakura sighed shaking her head.

"Even so…" Hinata looked to the fireplace, a smile coming to her face. "He does everything with all his heart. He never gives up. He always tries to find the truth behind things when no one else will. He has a kind heart, cares for all of his friends, and will never abandon someone no matter if it will cause trouble for himself. I fell in love with him for who he is… Naruto-kun… I can't help it. I love him."

Sakura stared at Hinata. _Heh… she's right. He is like that even if he can go overboard._ A smile crept to her face. "You should tell him that."

"Eh?"

"Tell him you love him! You haven't yet, have you?" Sakura grinned poking Hinata's cheek. Her face became a bright red as she pushed Sakura's hand away. Sakura laughed shaking her head. _Why do I love Sasuke-kun, I wonder? Maybe I should find the answer…_

As Sakura began to think on that, her name and Hinata's were called by Kushina. They got up and rushed over to help Kushina who was in the kitchen.

-oO0-o)

**December 24th-25th, a few hours before Christmas morning.**

Naruto bolted awake and looked around. He was breathing heavily and felt very hot. He took off the layer of blankets he had on, and hung his feet over his bed. _That dream…Why am I dreaming of that fox…?_

Sighing, Naruto placed on slippers and slowly and quietly crept out of the room. He didn't want to disturb Neji and Sasuke. As soon as he closed the door he walked down the hallway and down the long winding stairs to the large living room where the tree had been placed. The tree was very tall and brightly lit with many colored lights. Naruto walked up to and stared up at it. A smile came to his face as he remembered making the ornaments with his friends a few nights before.

Naruto looked over to the fireplace. It was unlit making it chilly in the living room. The rooms were heated, and since no one was sleeping down here there was no need to keep it warm. Frustrated that even though he was calmed down after that dream he wasn't sleepy. Clapping his hands together, Naruto grabbed the wood next to the fireplace and placed it inside. Doing as his father taught him, he started up the fire and closed the doors waiting for it to start up.

"There, now to just wait…" Naruto grabbed a blanket from the couches and curled up in front of the tree. He was staring at the presents that were under. A grin came to his face as he slowly began to reach for one of his until a voice made him froze.

"Naruto-kun…?" Naruto turned around to see Hinata coming down the stairs and towards him.

"Hinata, what are you doing awake?" Naruto asked as Hinata sat down next to him.

"I could ask you the same thing, Naruto-kun."

"Ehehe, I suppose you could… Well what's your reason first?"

"I couldn't sleep. I feel very excited for some reason." Hinata smiled as she leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto smiled down at her before pulling the blanket over her. "What's your reason?"

The smile from Naruto's face disappeared as he turned his head toward the tree. "I dreamed of a fox… You know the Kyuubi mascot? Well… it looks similar to the chibi on our jackets and shirts' uniforms. Except, it has four tails…" Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I've seen it in real life."

"You mean… from the time we saw the hot spring?" Hinata lifted up her head and looked at Naruto with concern.

"Yeah… And I also saw it the Sunday after you and Neji found me being beat up…" Naruto frowned and hung his head. "It's real, I know it is. You believe me don't you, Hinata?"

Hinata placed her hands on Naruto's face and brought it up. "I do believe you. I've heard mythical tales of strange creatures before. I believe that they exist even though we don't see them…"

Naruto gave a smile then leaned forward lightly kissing Hinata's lips making Hinata blush greatly and bury her head in his shoulder. Naruto laughed then got up and opened up the fireplace. "Thank you, Hinata. We'll have to research though…" Naruto went back over and sat with Hinata pulling her close.

"We'll figure this out, Naruto-kun. I'll ask Neji-niisan if he knows anything."

"Yeah! Now then… After it gets warm in here, I'll make us some coco! Then we just wait for everyone else to wake." Naruto smiled and stared up at the tree as he held Hinata closer.

-oO0-o)

"….suke-kun…Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke opened up his eyes to see bright green ones staring down at him.

"Whoa!" He sat up straight and shook his head. "Sakura? Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked as he yawned greatly. He rubbed his eyes and reached for his cell phone reading the time: 5a.m.

"No, no! Just come on!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm to pull him up.

"Jeez, wait, Sakura. Let me get dressed first." Sasuke gave a small laugh as he pulled his arm away. Sakura blushed and rubbed the back of her head before heading out of the room. Sasuke gave a smile before stretching and getting out of bed. Quickly, he changed out of his pajamas and into warm long sleeves. He came out of the room and gestured for Sakura to lead.

They headed down the stairs and came into the living room. Sasuke looked to the bright tree that illuminated the room then blinked when he realized it was warm. _Is Minato or Itachi up early?_ As they came up to the tree Sasuke finally noticed Naruto, Hinata, and Neji over by the large window just behind the tree.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved them over and pointed outside. "Look, look, look! It's hard to see since the sun isn't up, but you can barely see it thanks to the tree."

Sasuke came up next to Naruto and squinted his eyes. He could just make out white powder on the trees and ground. _Snow! Although, there isn't a lot of it._ "It almost seems so cliché for it to snow on Christmas day…"

"I hope it snows a lot more!" Naruto grinned then skipped over to the fireplace plopping down on a very large blanket. Hinata and Neji followed with Sakura and Sasuke behind.

"How long have you been up, Naruto?" Sasuke asked with a yawn.

Naruto placed a hand up to count. "Hmmm, a couple of hours? Maybe a few? I don't remember. I think it was still Christmas Eve just barely." Sasuke sweat dropped and couldn't help but smile.

"Why don't we play a card game as we wait for the adults to wake?" Neji suggested. Sasuke nodded in agreement and went over to a cupboard. He opened it up and brought out two decks of cards before plopping down next to Sakura.

A few hours past and by then the five children were getting exceedingly loud waking up the rest of the house. Minato and Obito were the first ones to come down the stairs to see what the fuss was about. They gave sighs with a few chuckles as they watched the children play Spoons. They were all very happy and in good moods, which made Minato smile. Minato exchanged a look with Obito before walking into the living room.

"I see you kids are up early." Minato commented making them freeze in the middle of their game, although their fits of laughter continued. Naruto snuck a spoon out making Sasuke tackle him. They began to wrestle on the floor with laughter and jumping around from the other three. Minato gave a laugh and stood back as Sasuke and Naruto rolled around.

Eventually, they all calmed down and Minato asked for them to help prepare Christmas dinner. As happy as they were, they agreed without a second thought. The rest of the family finally came down and everyone was helping with making the dinner. It took several hours, but they were finally able to relax to open presents.

**Later that evening.**

"C'mon!" Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and pulled her out the door. Neji was close behind. Sasuke and Sakura were already outside with Sakura having her hands up in the air. "It's snowing!" Naruto grinned largely and bent down picking up snow to throw at Sasuke, but Hinata grabbed his hand.

"Naruto-kun, he's talking with Sakura-chan. Let's leave them be for the moment." Hinata smiled as she held Naruto's hand. He dropped the snowball and nodded then looked up into the sky watching the snow slowly drift down.

Sasuke watched Sakura skip around as the snow fell down on them. A smile came to his face as he gripped something in his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he went up to her and grabbed her hand to make her come to a stop. Puffs of warm air came from her mouth as she smiled happily at Sasuke.

"Having fun?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded. "Turn around for me and close your eyes."

"Eh? What for?" Sakura tilted her head with a grin.

"Just do it!" Sasuke turned her around himself and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Eyes closed?" Sakura gave a nod. "Good." Sasuke reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver-chained necklace with an emerald, oval gem attached to it. He softly dropped it onto her neck and pulled the chain to the back of her neck and latched it over her hair before moving her hair aside for the chain to go under.

Sakura opened her eyes and gently touched the necklace. "Sasuke-kun…what's this for…?" She turned around with a sweet smile on her face. Sasuke blushed and looked away.

"I didn't give you a Christmas gift yet." Sasuke looked back at her with a light smile. Sakura smiled more and hugged Sasuke almost making him fall back. He regained his balance returning the hug giving a larger smile.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun… I love it." Sakura continued to hug Sasuke as she rested her head on his chest. Sasuke closed his eyes content with the way things were now.

_Sakura… I love you, but I'm just not ready to tell you yet. Please, continue to wait for me…_

The snow softly fell down upon the touching scene giving a warm feeling to the cool air of the winter day.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**Remember, if you have suggestions or ideas please don't be afraid to tell me!**


	12. The Fox

How long has it been since I last updated? Six months? Oh man do I fail! Well, I hope you're still enjoying this story even if I haven't updated in a while. I reread it and noticed a lot of word errors. Mostly switching words around that sounded like each other, and it seems I've missed placing in a few honorifics which I have edited (hopefully all). Hope it wasn't an annoyance to deal with!

Anyway.

Thanks for reading!

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sakura-_

**January 7th, Monday after school.**

"So, so, so! Did you and Sasuke-kun get together or not?" Ino demanded from Sakura tugging on her sleeve as they walked to their dormitory. Sakura gave a pouty face and a glare at the same time. Ino grinned then gave her own pouty face. "That's a no, isn't it?"

"Yes, Ino, that is a no." Sakura pulled out her dorm card and opened up the door heading into the warmth of the girls' dormitory. Ino followed quickly inside.

"How come? What's that necklace mean?" Ino asked as she skipped ahead to the stairs.

Sakura sighed pulling her hood down and fluffing her hair out. "It was a Christmas gift. That's all. He didn't ask me out, he didn't say he liked me, or anything!" Ino frowned and gave a light nod as they headed up to the second floor.

They walked in silence until they got to their door room and were inside. Ino turned on Sakura before she even had a chance to take off her jacket. "But getting a necklace like that must mean he means you're special to him in some way! I mean look," Ino pulled up a necklace from around her neck that was a gem made to look like flowers, "Choji gave this to me, and no one else got anything that special! Did anyone get something like that from Sasuke-kun, too?"

Sakura crossed her arms and stared at Ino silently. _She does have a point._ Sakura thought, _but even so it's just a necklace right? I mean Naruto got one from his parents from what he told me on his birthday. Well…That was from his parents, but…_ "We're just friends. I don't think he's interested in girls too much. I think he just really missed me and wanted to give me a stone that matched my eyes or something."

Sakura watched as several emotions went across Ino's face before they landed on disappointment.

"Aw, I was so hoping you guys would get together." Ino mumbled as she flopped down on her bed. "We'll just have to try harder! And this time you'll tell him your feelings." Ino pointed a finger up at Sakura as she laid there with a determined expression on her face.

Sakura sighed. "Ino, I'll tell him when I'm ready, okay? I don't want things to get awkward if he happens to say no." Shaking her head, she took off her bag and went to change. She could feel Ino's stare, but ignored it. _I'm sticking to be realistic; sorry Ino._

-oO0-o)

**January 8th, Tuesday 5th period, English.**

"Sakura-san?" Sakura looked up from her English book to see Rin hovering over her.

"Huh?" Sakura asked blinking slowly up at her. Rin smiled and waved at her. Sakura sat up straight and gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I was concentrating. Is there something you needed, Rin-sensei?"

Rin nodded and placed a pile of papers on Sakura's desk. Sakura stared at them suspiciously. "Can you give these to the Student Council President, Neji Hyuuga?"

Sakura could only stare blankly at Rin as the rest of the class turned to look at them. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it immediately. Rin gave a small laugh and placed a small paper next to the papers.

"Here, special permission to go over to Kitsune High. I need them delivered now, and you have the highest grade so that's why you're chosen. You probably won't be back before the bell rings so take all of your things." Rin turned and went back to the front of the classroom where her desk was. Sakura continued to stare at the papers before shaking her head and getting up.

She went over to the door and grabbed her coat before placing her things in her book bag. After that she picked up the pile of papers, permission slip, and slipped out the door. As she followed the hallways she showed the monitors her permission slip before getting to the main gate outside that led to the boys' school.

The gate master looked up at her giving her a suspicious look before noticing the permission slip. Sakura felt sorry for the woman who had to sit out here in the snow, which seemed to be getting increasingly worse.

Once through the gate she plunged through the snow to hurry inside the school building.

-oO0-o)

"GAH!" Sakura shouted out as she fell backwards onto her butt. She gasped as papers fluttered everywhere. "Noooo!"

"Oh, shoot! I'm so sorry." An all too familiar voice mumbled out pulling her up to her feet. She blinked several times before blushing seeing Sasuke in front of her. His expression mimicked hers. "Sakura! What are you doing over here?"

"I… uh… well…" Sakura began to stutter out then shook her head to get her mind straight. "Rin-sensei asked me to deliver these," Sakura's eye twitched as she looked on the ground at the papers, "to Neji-san in the Student Council room…" A sigh escaped her lips as she dropped down to pick them up.

"Let me help you out here." Sasuke volunteered as he knelt down picking papers up in the farthest direction.

"No, no that's okay! Don't you have class to get to?" Sakura asked as she eyed Sasuke's school bag. He turned to her and gave a light smile that made her blush again.

"It's my lunch hour right now. I was a little bit late getting out of class, so I was just about to head to the lunchroom."

"Oh, well you should go eat then."

"Nah, I'll help you carry these." Sasuke handed Sakura the last of the papers before taking half of what was in her arms. Sakura pouted out then gave a light nod.

"I don't know where there Student Council room is anyway." She admitted sheepishly. Sasuke smirked and began to walk towards the stares. Sakura quickly followed after with a smile on her face.

_This was totally unexpected!_ Sakura thought feeling happy. _Of all the boys to run into, I'm quite pleased it was Sasuke-kun._ A soft sigh escaped Sakura's lips as she watched after Sasuke.

Eventually, they made it to the Student Council room and dropped the papers next to Neji. Neji looked up at them with a frown. "What are these for, Sasuke Uchiha, and…?"

"Sakura Haruno!" Sakura announced and rolled her eyes. She placed her hands behind her back and gave a silent giggle. _Pretending not to know me, eh?_ "And these are from Rin-sensei, my English teacher. She told me to deliver them to you immediately."

"Oh, yes of course. Thank you. I had almost forgotten." Neji bowed his head to Sakura before grabbing the pile and looking it over. "It seems out of order…"

"Ah well that's-" Sakura started with a panic.

"My fault." Sasuke interrupted placing his hands in his pockets. "I accidentally ran into Haruno-san. Do you want help organize these? It's my lunch hour."

Neji blinked at Sasuke then shook his head. "No, it's alright. Go have your lunch." Neji gestured with his hands for them to leave. Sasuke and Sakura bowed their heads before heading out of the Student Council room.

Sakura sighed relief as she walked next to Sasuke. "Oh man, the air between Neji at school is totally different than on that trip!"

"Definitely. Naruto told me it's a façade to protect himself and Hinata."

"Really? Heh, he is such a caring cousin…" Sakura smiled to herself as they headed down the stairs. "I should probably head back. I'm guessing 5th period will be up soon."

Sasuke stopped at the edge of the stairs as he looked up at the wall clock. Sakura followed his eyes then looked at him seeing a sad expression cross his face.

"Let me take you to the gate. I'll just text Naruto to sneak me a snack." Sasuke looked at Sakura with a hopeful expression. Sakura blushed and gave a light nod making Sasuke grin and start to walk again. "Which reminds me… I bet all these texts are from him…"

Sakura laughed shaking her head. "Panicking I bet!"

"No doubt. He sometimes over panics and it causes everyone around him to panic." Sasuke sighed mumbling as he flipped through his phone. "I mean… I'm worried about him sometimes… No a lot. After what happened… I can't blame him for wondering where I am when I don't say anything…"

Sakura blinked at Sasuke as his tone went from annoyed, worried, and finally serious. Something seemed to be on his mind. Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find the right words. _What could I possibly say to that?_ Not wanting this mood to stick, she looked up as they left the school building to think of a topic. The snow wasn't as heavy, but plenty of it was on the ground. Her eyes caught the mascots and she gave a light smile.

"The mascots… are wonderful, aren't they?" Sakura stopped to admire them. Sasuke stopped with her looking up. "They looked as if they belong together, and thinking how Naruto and Hinata-chan got to be them during Halloween makes me smile." Sakura smiled more and glanced to Sasuke to see his expression.

Her mood immediately dropped to see that his eyes had lit up in a small horror, but it quickly faded from his expression as he turned to look at Sakura seriously.

"Sakura… Do you know anything about the Kyuubi?" Sasuke asked.

"I… no, I don't know much about it. I know that the Kyuubi mascot was actually picked first for Konoha High. They changed it when they created the brother school calling it Kitsune High. They thought it would fit better compared to the Nibi." Sakura clenched her arm. "Sasuke-kun… Is there something on your mind?"

For a moment, Sasuke remained silent then bowed his head. "It's just… Minato once told me…" Sasuke shook his head and placed on a half-smirk. "Oh, never mind. I'm way over thinking this. C'mon, let me get you to the gate. It's getting way cold out here." Sasuke turned from Sakura and headed towards the main gate. Sakura stared after Sasuke before slowly following after.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**After school, the same day.**

Naruto and Sasuke walked home quickly as they could to get out of the snowy weather. It had gotten worse since lunch.

"Now it decides to snow super hard when we're back in school!" Naruto shouted over the snow before slipping on ice and landing on his butt.

Sasuke reached down and helped him to his feet with a sigh. "It definitely isn't getting any better. We're not going to make it home at this point."

"Ugh, that's for sure!" Naruto groaned as he rubbed his back. "Is there any cover around here?"

Both boys looked left and right to see nothing of the sort except for a small cover where buses picked up people. Quickly, but safely, they jogged over and stood under the cover. It wasn't much, but it did keep out most of the storm.

Naruto shivered as he pulled his hood over his face more. "This is ridiculous weather…"

"That's for sure." Sasuke agreed throwing his hands into his jacket pockets. "It's fun until it gets like this." Naruto mumbled quietly in response.

They stood there hoping the storm would let up, but with no hope. Quickly, the sun's light faded and street lamps had turned on. Getting irritated with sitting, they cleared off the bench and sat curled up.

"I tried texting my Dad, but there doesn't seem to be any service." Naruto groaned as he stared at his cell phone. Sasuke nodded keeping his hands in his pockets. "There's no way we're going to get out of this…" Naruto stared off into the distance stopping his sentence mid-way. Sasuke glanced at him with a confused expression then followed his stare.

His eyes widened.

There, curled under a lamp, was a bright, orange coat of an animal. It was hard to tell what it was from here, but Sasuke assumed it was a cat of some sort. Snow was half-way covering the creature by now making him wonder if it was dead or not.

Naruto suddenly stood up and trudged out into the snow in its general direction.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted over the storm, but frowned when Naruto didn't answer. Sighing, Sasuke got up and followed after him.

When they approached the creature, Naruto kneeled down and dusted the snow off of it. Quickly, he took off his glove and pressed his hand to its body. "It's still warm! Sasuke, this fox is alive."

"We had better get it out of this… wait, fox?" Sasuke blinked slowly as he finally noticed the snout of the creature. It was very much indeed the shape of a fox. "Wait a minute, Naruto, we shouldn't touch this. It could be rabid."

"What?" Naruto glared up at Sasuke as he lifted the creature from the ground and held it close to his body. "That's ridiculous. If it was, it would try and attack us. I know what rabid animals do, Sasuke."

"I… guess." Sasuke groaned as he watched Naruto head back to their cover. There was no arguing with him as he had already made up his mind. Sasuke went to follow him, but stopped when he saw Shikamaru and Kankuro staring at him. "Shikamaru? Kankuro?" Naruto quickly headed back over to Sasuke when he heard him call their names.

Shikamaru stood there for a moment before waving and coming up to them. He had a shovel in his hands. "Sasuke! Naruto! What are you two doing out in this storm?"

"Trying to wait it out… We got blocked off from home." Sasuke responded. Naruto nodded as he unzipped his coat placing the fox inside his jacket.

"Eh, that's no good. Follow me. My house is near here." Shikamaru turned around and began to trudge back to Kankuro. Sasuke and Naruto took once glance at each other before following after.

-oO0-o)

"You sure it was safe to pick this up?" Shikamaru asked as he tossed Naruto and Sasuke dry clothes.

"That's what I asked him…" Sasuke mumbled.

"It's fine! I know it is." Naruto glared as he began to change into the dry clothes. The expression on Naruto's face made Sasuke think he was hard in thought.

After a few phone calls to Itachi and Minato, Naruto and Sasuke were forced to stay over at the Nara's house as the storm didn't seem to be letting up. They were placed in a small room as the Sabaku children had the only spare one. Fortunately, there were enough futons to use. However…

"You're joking, right?" Sasuke groaned as he pulled the blankets over his face.

"No, I'm sure this is the fox I saw at the vacation home." Naruto was leaning against the wall with the fox in his lap. He was going to let it sleep with them. Sasuke mumbled lightly. "Look, I know it's not dangerous. I'll watch after it, I promise!" Naruto pleaded. He leaned over Sasuke with puppy dog eyes. Sasuke slowly pulled the blanket down and sighed.

"Fine, but still be careful!" Sasuke turned on his side and curled up. "I doubt there will be school in the morning, so tomorrow we'll decide what to do, okay?"

"Okay, thanks Sasuke." Naruto sighed relief and stared down at the fox in his lap. A serious expression crossed his face.

"What happened to your other three tails?" Naruto softly said under his breath as he lightly rubbed the fox's body.

-oO0-o)

Naruto looked left.

Darkness.

Naruto looked right.

More darkness.

He began to panic not seeing the light anywhere.

_Where am I? Where is everyone?_ He clenched his arms swallowing hard as he dropped to his knees. He opened his mouth to shout out, but no words came forth. A hand flew to his throat to see if it was damaged. It was not. Panic began to rise even more in his stomach. _Mom, Dad, Itachi, Hinata, Sakura-chan, Sasuke! Anyone! Help me!_

_**Naruto**_

Naruto's panic stopped. He looked around noticing light beginning to flood in. Slowly, he stood up and looked around.

_**Naruto!**_

His head turned to look down to see something fluffy and orange. It moved and blinked up at him. Red eyes glimmered in the light brightly at him.

"_**Naruto, wake up!"**_

"WAAAH!" Naruto screamed as he flew to stand up. Something else flew across the room in an orange flash. Sasuke fell on his butt staring up at Naruto with worry. Naruto gripped his head for a moment before he slowly began to realize he was in the waking world. He plopped back down and stared at the ground.

"Naruto…?" A concerned voice of Sasuke's flooded Naruto's ears. Sasuke reached over and gently touched his arm. Naruto looked at Sasuke and instantly relaxed.

"S-Sorry… I had a bad dream…" Naruto tried smiling, but it didn't last long.

Sasuke gave a sigh of relief before punching Naruto's arm. "You scared the hell out of me…"

Suddenly, the sliding doors flew open with Shikamaru, Gaara, and Kankuro standing on the other side. They stared over at Sasuke and Naruto with concerned looks.

Shikamaru spook first, "what's going on here?"

"N-Nothing!" Naruto replied. "I didn't mean to scream like that. I had a really bad dream. Ehehe…" All three at the door relaxed and stood up straight.

"Must have been one hell of a dream if you could wake us all up." Kankuro mumbled as he walked away with Shikamaru following after. Gaara entered the room sitting on the floor next to Sasuke and Naruto.

Sasuke turned to Naruto gave a small smile. "What was the dream about?"

"Just… darkness… and…" Naruto stood up suddenly looking around with panic. "Where'd the fox go?" Sasuke instantly got on his feet and did the same.

"Fox?" Gaara asked as Naruto and Sasuke frankly began looking around the room.

"Yeah! I found it in the snow last night." Naruto replied as he looked into the closet.

"That's odd for a fox to be out during this weather…" Gaara frowned then blinked seeing something orange. "Is that it?" He pointed to a corner of the room. Naruto quickly looked in the direction Gaara was pointing then went over to it.

A small hiss was produced as Naruto got close making him stop. Sasuke came up behind him making it hiss again before he stood away. "Now be careful, Idiot…"

"I know, I know…" Naruto got down on his knees and began to slowly creep towards the fox. The hissing continued. Naruto stopped and gave a frown. "Shoot, why is it all upset?"

"I don't know… perhaps being flown through the air could have done something." Sasuke mumbled sarcastically. "Or it could have been your screaming." Naruto gave a glare in Sasuke's direction before looking back at the fox.

It stared with bright red eyes in their direction with its shackles raised. Its tail was fluffed five times its normal size while its ears laid flat on its head. Naruto stared at it thinking back to his dream right before he screamed. He gave a sigh not knowing what to do now.

"Naruto," it was Gaara, "perhaps you could back off to a far corner and let it come to you on its own?" Naruto glanced at Gaara then looked back to the fox.

"What good will that do?"

"Make you less threatening."

Naruto slowly backed away until he was far away as he could get from the fox. Sasuke joined him punching his arm in anger mumbling something about how this was a bad idea. Gaara remained where he was at to not alarm the creature anymore.

After a few moments, the hissing died down. Naruto didn't dare look over incase it frightened the creature again. Soon, it was completely silent in the room with the only noise coming from the sounds of cooking in another room.

Minutes past and eventually Naruto felt something soft come into his lap and curl up. He looked down at the fox giving a light smile. He continued to remain still. He grinned at Sasuke who only rolled his eyes at him. All three boys decided to remain still until they would think it would be safe.

It took almost five minutes, but Naruto was able to move the fox without it going into a violent fit.

"That… took more effort than I cared to give this morning." Sasuke groaned as he stood up stretching his stiff legs.

"At least it's settled down!" Naruto muttered as he placed the fox down to stand up. Naruto stretched out his arms, but stopped in-mid stretch as he saw Gaara staring at the fox. Naruto lifted up an eyebrow, but remained quiet.

"Hey," Shikamaru motioned as he opened the door, "it's time to eat."

"Okay!"

-oO0-o)

Naruto twitched as he helped Sasuke and Shikamaru clean off the fur from a young reindeer in the Nara's backyard. He was staring down at the fox that wouldn't stop following him all day. Sasuke grumbled noticing it as well. He found it annoying.

Naruto gave a sigh and knelt down pulling out a small snack tossing it to the fox. The fox dived for it and began to nibble on it greedily.

"You know, Naruto…" Sasuke began as he kicked Naruto over, "you really should do something about this fox. It seems attached to you and that has me concerned."

Naruto frowned. "I know, but… there's just something about the fox that's bothering me. I'll take care of it soon, I promise."

"You better." Shikamaru grumbled from behind the reindeer. "The calf is getting skittish, so could you move inside?"

"Yeah…" Naruto began to feel useless. All day people had told him to stay out of the way because of the fox that had been following him around. Not being able to do much about it, Naruto headed inside and went into his sleeping room. The fox, of course, followed after him.

He grabbed his book bag and took out his homework hoping he could accomplish something.

Hours passed and soon it was lunch, but once it was over Naruto was again asked to stay out of the way. Frustrated, Naruto grabbed his coat and left the Nara's residence. The storm had let up and by this time the roads were beginning to be cleared. He glanced back and down at the fox almost tempted to just let it walk through the snow, but thought better of it and picked it up placing it on his shoulders.

"C'mon… um… Fox-san, let's get out of here." Naruto sweat dropped when he couldn't think of a better name. Adjusting his shoulders, he trudged out into the snow.

After a few minutes, Naruto could hear someone else behind him. Glancing back, he assumed it would be Sasuke, but was surprised when he saw it was Gaara. Stopping, he waited for Gaara to catch up with him.

"Naruto… I need to talk to you about something. It… has been on my mind since I've seen this fox following you around." Gaara had his book bag on his shoulder, but it looked empty.

"Uh, okay. What is it, Gaara?" Naruto fidgeted some feeling the cold creep on him.

"Can we head towards the library?" Gaara suggested indicating to move forward. Naruto was glad to move again.

"Sure, but I don't know where it is at all."

"Do you know someone that might?"

"Hmm…" Naruto pulled out his cell phone and glanced through his contacts. He gave a smile when he found someone that would know. Not wanting to text, he quickly pressed send and waited as the phone ringed.

After a moment, a shy voice answered the phone.

"Hey, Hinata! It's Naruto. I need a favor…"

-oO0-o)

Naruto, Gaara, Hinata, and Neji stared at the library doors blankly seeing a closed sign hanging from the inside. Naruto banged his head against the doors sighing greatly.

"Now what…?" He mumbled.

"Why did you want to come here? Is it about this fox?" Neji asked glancing to the fox on Naruto's shoulders. Naruto glanced at Gaara whom gave a nod. "Well, we have some mythical books at the Hyuuga household. Let's try there."

"Okay." Naruto gave a half-smile and followed after the Hyuugas.

Neji and Hinata had been surprised when Naruto showed them the fox, but quickly accepted it. That had eased Naruto's worries by a little bit. Gaara seemed relaxed as well.

Naruto glanced at Gaara as they walked wondering what exactly he needed to talk to him about. It was a little bit frustrating, but Naruto would be patient as much as he could tolerate it.

Before long, they arrived at the Hyuuga house and were taken to the small library on the property. Neji and Hinata left Gaara and Naruto alone only indicating where the books could be found. And with that they dug into the books looking for any information on the fox.

After an hour or so of searching, Naruto fell back and sighed greatly in frustration.

"Maybe they don't have anything here." Naruto grumbled.

"Perhaps…" Gaara agreed.

"What did you need to talk to me about anyway?"

"I… I remembered something from when I was a child looking at that fox." Gaara glanced down at the fox as well did Naruto. "I'm not sure if it was something I made up or if it was real, but I once had a tanuki, a raccoon dog, follow me around. It was young, but seemed tamed much like this fox. It was odd seeing such a thing native to the desert, yet the coloration of its fur was much like sand. It eventually stopped coming around when I was older, and after that it slipped from my memory."

Naruto slowly began to analyze what Gaara was talking about and frowned. "You know… I actually recall something like that happening to me as well."

"Truly?"

"Yeah!" Naruto sat up and crossed his arms. "It was an orange fox like this one, but whether or not it's the same I couldn't tell you."

"This is very strange… I wish there was an explanation." Gaara sighed looking crushed that this was all the information they could come up with.

Naruto rolled onto his side nodding in agreement. He went to pet the fox but noticed it wasn't there anymore. He sat up and looked around frantically hoping it hadn't left the room. His eyes caught orange fur crawling on the top shelves.

"Gah!" Naruto shouted as he quickly got up to get the fox down. He climbed up the shelves and reached out grabbing the fox only to come falling down onto a pile of books.

"Naruto!" Gaara shouted coming over to him quickly. Naruto was in a mess with the fox squeaking in his lap. He groaned and mumbled shaking his head as he turned to glare at the fox.

"What were you trying to do now you…?" Naruto stopped when he noticed the fox had an old book in its mouth. Carefully, he grabbed the book and the fox dropped it. Naruto glanced up at Gaara before opening it up to read its contents out loud.

"_The tale of the great nine-tailed beasts:_

"_Long ago, there existed nine great beasts that roamed in the main nine areas of the land. Each one was sought to be a god and worshipped because they brought prosperity to the land and gave the people a place of living. For a long while, peace was within the lands, and there was harmony between the beasts and the people._

"_But that was not to last…_

"_The people of the land began to be able to take care of things on their own without the aid of the great beasts. It created a strife and people started to believe their power and wisdom weren't needed any longer._

"_Many of the beasts were angered by this, and tried to persuade the people that without them the land could die._

"_They were ignored._

"_Eventually, all the beasts were chased out of the lands and became nothing but small shells of themselves. With their power taken away from them by the land they sought out a new purpose, but to no prevail._

"_They disappeared from the land…_

"_Only a few amount of people still held them to their hearts…_

"_All the nine-tailed beasts had a certain amount of tails and a name: One they had themselves, and the other that was given by the people of the land:_

"_Shukaku, the one tailed beast Ichibi. He was a legendary tanuki, raccoon dog, with sandy-brown fur with black markings all over his face, body, and tail. He was believed to have a great power over the elements of sand._

"_Matatabi, the two tailed beast Nibi. She was a lovely bakeneko, monster cat, with blue fur that almost seemed on fire. She was believed to have supernatural powers._

"_Isobu, the three tailed beast Sanbi. He was a large, grey turtle that was mixed with having a shell of a crab. He was believed to be able to control the coral that resided in the oceans._

"_Son Gokū, the four tailed beast Yonbi. He was a prideful gorilla with red fur and green skin. He was believed to have the power over the elements of lava._

"_Kokuō, the five tailed beast Gobi. He was a magnificent horse with the head of a dolphin with fur as white as snow. He was believed to have the power to control steam throughout the air._

"_Saiken, the six tailed beast Rokubi. He was a smooth bipedal slug with oozing white skin. He was believed to be able to have control of corrosive substances that could be formed as a gas or a liquid._

"_Chōmei, the seven tailed beast Nanabi. She was a glorious armored kabutomushi, horned beetle, with green skin. Her tails were odd as six of the seven were yellow/orange insect wings. She was believed to have amazing ability to control light and the ability to fly._

"_Gyūki, the eight tailed beast Hachibi. He was a massive ushi-oni, ox demon, of maroon color and having his body as an ox and his tails of an octopus. He was believed to have massive amounts of energy._

"_Kurama, the nine tailed beast Kyuubi. He was a strong kitsune, fox, of beautiful bright orange fur. He was believed to have great amounts of stamina and control of over the elements of wind._

"_The names of the tailed beasts were long forgotten, and were only remembered by how many tails they had._

"_It is unknown if they are still in existence and if they were what kind of form they have taken…"_

Naruto closed the book and glanced up at Gaara seeing his feelings reflected on Gaara's face. It was a look of great awe, and appreciation. Both of the boys looked down at the fox that was blinking curiously at them with red eyes.

"Your name… it's Kurama, huh?" Naruto asked.

The fox jumped up and down squeaking loudly.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

I'm not too satisfied with this how this chapter started, but I'll deal with it. Sasuke's worries about the Kyuubi and the fox will come in. There was a purpose of not explaining it in this chapter! I will say that it does deal with Sakura.

The book telling of the nine-tailed beasts is based loosely around an old story about a goddess that took care of a crop of wheat, and how eventually the people forgot about her making her eventually powerless. I wanted it to be more original, but still have the same concept in a way, and also to keep the names and what the tailed-beasts were from Kishimoto, of course.

Also, their genders are based on the last jinchūriki that the tailed-beast inhabited from the manga.


	13. Kurama, Shukaku, and the Warning

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**January 9th, Wednesday evening.**

Naruto waved goodbye to Gaara as he and Sasuke were heading down the street. It was an hour or so after Gaara and Naruto came back from the Hyuuga's. Sasuke had texted Naruto demanding where he was, and that Minato wanted them back home. And with haste, the boys got back to the Nara's residence as best as they could.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke with a sheepish smile that was only returned with a glare from him.

"Aw, are you still mad at me, Sasuke?"

"Yes, you idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You AND Gaara left without a word making everyone worry. It was becoming a hectic time to find you two since it seemed cell phone service was down again."

"I said I was sorry." Naruto grumbled. "Everyone kept pushing me out of the way anyway because of Kurama…"

"Yeah, cause Kurama…Wait who?" Sasuke stopped giving Naruto a weird look.

Naruto pointed to Kurama who was on his shoulder. "Kurama. I, uh named him that." Naruto smiled. _Better to keep what Gaara and I learned a secret for now._

"I see. Well it was beginning to make people worry that… Kurama here would do something." Sasuke began to walk again turning the corning that led to their street. Naruto followed quickly after.

"He's a good fox! He hasn't done anything wrong at all, has he?" Naruto began to argue.

"I… suppose he hasn't, but he's still a wild animal, Naruto." Sasuke argued back.

"He's an intelligent one that understands what's going on!"

"Do you know that for a fact?"

"Yeah, I do!"

"Where did you get this kind of proof anyway?"

"Instinct!"

"That's not proof, Idiot!"

"It's better than your assumptions that he'll do something bad."

"He's more than likely to do something bad!"

Both boys stopped and glared furiously at each other. They were near their houses, but neither were going to move from their spots. An argument had sprung between them, and this time it wasn't one of their silly ones. This time, both sides were full of anger unlike the time when Sasuke pretended to "leave" Naruto.

Silence ensnared them like spreading wild fire. Both of them thought they were right, and neither was going to agree to the other opinion. Naruto knew he was right because of what he read and how Kurama responded to him. Sasuke thought he was right because he knew nothing due to Naruto being quiet. Naruto could solve this by telling him, but he was too stubborn for that now.

"Naruto, Sasuke, what are you doing?" Neither of them looked up when Itachi's voice floated towards them. Itachi crunched through the snow over to them with suspicious looks. "Are you two fighting again?"

"What's it matter to you, Itachi?" Sasuke grumbled. "And I was just ending it." Sasuke turned away from Naruto before he got a chance to talk and stomped towards his house. Itachi stared after him blankly as he heard the door open then shut. He sighed and looked to Naruto.

"What's going on, Naruto?"

"Well," Naruto relaxed some and looked at Itachi as he brought Kurama into his arms, "this is a fox I found and Sasuke thinks it's dangerous. I think otherwise, rather I know otherwise."

Itachi knelt down some to examine Kurama. "Seems fairly tame, but do be careful it doesn't bite you."

"I know, but I know he won't." Naruto ensured holding Kurama close. "He's more like a cat than a fox."

"Are you very confident in that? Without any doubts?" Itachi asked as he stood up straight.

"Yes." Naruto said without fail.

Itachi gave a small smile then rubbed Naruto's head before heading towards his house. "I'll try to calm Sasuke down. You just relax and try getting that fox past your dad."

Naruto twitched and looked toward his house. _Right. Dad might not like this idea… _Taking a deep breath, Naruto hoppled through the snow to his house and went inside.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home." Naruto called out as he stomped his feet on the carpet. He placed Kurama down as he took off his jackets and boots.

"Welcome home, Naruto!" Kushina called out coming in from the living room. "Did you do alright over at the Nara's?"

"Mm, yeah I guess." Naruto replied half-heartedly. _It wasn't that pleasant at first._ "But, um I have something I need to talk to Dad and you about." Naruto knelt down picking up Kurama and went up to his mom. Kushina stared at Kurama for a moment before putting on a serious expression.

"Minato dear… I think you need to come over here." It was Kushina's strict voice. Naruto swallowed already feeling like something would go wrong.

Minato entered the hallway a few moments later and looked over at Kushina before looking at Naruto. His eyes went wide before he put on a serious face. "What's this, Naruto?"

"It's a fox I found in the snow yesterday. Dad, before you say anything about how dangerous he could be, I already know all that."

"Then you want to try to convince me it's safe to keep him?" Minato asked raising an eyebrow up.

"I swear, Dad, he hasn't done anything to hurt anyone. He's only followed me around everywhere. That's about it." Naruto gave a serious expression hoping it would convince his parents.

Minato stared at Naruto and Kurama for a long time then crossed his arms. "Naruto, there's something you're not telling me about this fox, isn't there?" Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but shut it and only nodded. "You better tell me and your mother before we decide anything."

"Okay…"

-oO0-o)

Sasuke stared at Itachi as he tried to figure out how to word this. Itachi remained quiet and patient.

"Okay, so after Naruto finds this fox I begin to get pretty suspicious because of something about the Kyuubi." Sasuke began leaning back in his chair. "I had been thinking about that since yesterday around lunch time. Looking at the mascot triggered a memory of mine when Naruto went to the hospital in Oto. Minato had told me about an orange fox."

"Ah…" Itachi nodded crossing his arms. "I remember you mentioning that to me. Minato was trying to explain Naruto's aggressive behavior. He thought that perhaps the fox had done something, but if I recall correctly Minato dismissed that as he is one not to believe in mythical things."

"Yeah… I was thinking about that, but the messed up thing is that when I look at that fox, the Kyuubi comes to my mind immediately now." Sasuke stared up at the ceiling. "I'm worried, and that makes me yell at Naruto even when I'm not truly angry at him. It causes my worry to turn to anger though…" Sasuke plopped his chair down and placed his face into upraised hands.

Itachi moved his chair next to Sasuke's and placed a hand on his head. "It looks like Naruto truly believes that fox will not hurt him. I can tell that nothing will sway him on that unless the fox actually did something."

Sasuke looked up at Itachi then sat up straight giving a sigh. There were just so many things he didn't understand, and he just felt helpless because he couldn't figure out how to help Naruto. _I'm merely feeling sorry for myself. Naruto doesn't need that kind of attitude from me._

"Itachi… What do you think?"

"About what to do? Hmm, you should answer that yourself and put the responsibility on your decision, not mine." Itachi stood and turned around. "If I make the decision and things don't go as you would hope, it would cause more pain and you'll only feel more helpless."

"More helpless…" Sasuke gave a nod. "I suppose you are right. I need to get the answer on my own without a bias opinion. Okay, thanks Itachi. I'm going to go to my room and think for awhile."

"Okay, I'll knock when dinner is ready." Sasuke gave a smile at Itachi before getting up and heading towards his room. He plopped over on his bed and began to formulate.

_When Naruto was a child, he was bitten by some type of animal. The main conclusion leads to it being from an orange fox with red eyes. Another conclusion could be that it was another wild animal and that fox merely saved his life. Both are likely from any standpoint, but if it were looked with a standpoint that mythical beings do not exist… That fox would have been the cause of Naruto being bitten and it might have given him a disease that would cause his aggression._

Sasuke stood up and shook his head.

_No, there are many factors that concluded that perhaps the fox had intelligence. According to Minato, the fox had followed him all the way to the hospital. The fox that was with Naruto now looks exactly like the one that did, so does that mean it's the same one? Foxes can live up to ten years, but most only make it to about two to three and it's been nine years since that happened. Minato told me that it was a young fox… From what I can tell the fox that Naruto has is young as well. It would be well beyond old by now or dead. Is it possible that this fox doesn't just have intelligence, but mythical powers as well?_

Sasuke stood up and went over to his window looking out it. He had a clear view of Naruto's room. The blinds were open so he could see inside, but Naruto wasn't in sight. Being given this free chance without having Naruto interrupt, Sasuke took a full look at what he could see from here.

Naruto's calendar and bookshelf of Manga were in direct view. He could see Naruto's collection was very large, but he soon realized that many of the titles were kitsune related. Even the calendar itself was about foxes. Sasuke began to notice that there were a lot of orange things as well. There was even an orange fox plushie on the top of the Manga bookshelf. Sasuke slowly closed his blinds and sat down on his bed.

_Orange is Naruto's favorite color. He has a lot of manga about the demon foxes called kitsune. He's even got his calendar full of foxes! Why haven't I noticed this before? Was it not important to me in the past, and now that I'm aware of it I actually notice these things? That must be it. When Minato had told me about it that day I think I forgot about it after I made that promise with Naruto. Why is it coming up now, though? What significant thing has happened for this fox to appear?_

Sasuke frowned and rubbed his face. _This started happening after Suigetsu threatened me. Was me leaving the factor for this happening? Did the affect it had on Naruto cause this fox to appear again? What is this fox, anyway?_

Suddenly, Sasuke had an idea. He turned on his computer and waited for it to load. After that, he opened up his internet browser and clicked on the search engine typing in "Kurama orange red eyed fox."

The results came in and Sasuke shifted through them for a moment until he found a page that talked about tailed beasts. He clicked on that and began to shift through it. It talked about the legend of the tailed beasts, but there wasn't much information except that they were once part of the world and then just left without warning. Unfortunately, none of these listed the name Kurama, so Sasuke wasn't sure he could trust this information at all.

Sighing, Sasuke went back to the search engine and shifted through the sites again. His eye caught the name Kurama and he quickly clicked on the link and read the information.

"_Kurama was a legendary fox with fur as orange as the summer fruit. He was the leader of the tailed beasts as he had the most tails. Kurama had more stamina than the other tailed beasts, so he was able to get to the others quickly. This is why he was chosen as the leader. Even though he was the leader, he never acted as one. All the tailed beasts acted together as they all ruled different parts of the land. _

"_Kyuubi was the name he was given by the people as it meant nine tails. He ruled over the land of Konohagakure no Sato, and kept it safe from harsh weather. Eventually, his power dwindled due to the people's belief. He disappeared from the land with the other tailed beasts leaving only behind a warning for the people of the land:_

"_Without us, the land will die. It might take a while for this to come forth, but you have only doomed yourself in the end. Places will begin to suffer an unknown weather shift, and sickness will spread. You who have disregarded this will perish, but those that continue to believe in and trust might be able to save this land wherever they may appear. This is the last wisdom we have for you. Believe in it or not because no matter what it will happen."_

Sasuke stared at his screen before placing a bookmark on this page, and then turning his computer off.

"Kurama… Could he possibly be the Kyuubi? He ruled over the land of Konohagakure no Sato… It literally means Village Hidden by Tree Leaves. This city is named Konoha and could definitely be defined as being hidden by trees. Did this city once reside in the land of Konohagakure no Sato and just eventually took up the name Konoha?"

Sasuke frowned as he pondered this before he stopped hearing Itachi knock on his door. He got up and went over to it then stopped looking back out the windows. "Why have you returned… Kurama?"

-oO0-o)

**Two days later at the Nara Residence, January 11th, Friday after school.**

"All set, Gaara?" Naruto asked as he waited outside in the freezing cold. Kurama was curled snuggly in Naruto's jacket trying to keep warm.

"Yes, I am sorry for the wait." Gaara responded coming out of the Nara's residence with Kankuro, Temari, and Shikamaru following after. Naruto glanced at the three extras giving a nod before heading out onto the street. He waved over to Sasuke who came up next to them.

"So, where exactly are we heading again?" Sasuke asked as the boys trudged up the street towards the forest that lied on the other side of the Nara's home. Much of the snow had melted, but there was still enough to make it a rough walk.

"I saw a tanuki from my window yesterday." Gaara answered. "I thought it was just coming to scavenge for food, but it only stared at me through the snow. It came closer and I got to see that it was a sandy colored with black markings…" Gaara glanced at Naruto who gave a bite of his lip.

"It's quite unusual," Temari began, "for an animal to be the color of sand during the winter season. Frankly, it's unnatural. Animals' fur adapt to the weather in order to hide from predators. To find a creature that is completely polar opposite of the weather is suspicious." Temari pointed a finger to Kurama's face that was peeking out of Naruto's jacket.

"Right… I get all that, but why are we going after it?" Sasuke grumbled.

"That's what I'd like to know…" Shikamaru sighed as he stopped at gate. "I'm the one that's going to have to lead you through the snow, and I'd like a good reason before we go into here. All you said was 'We need into the back forest.', and then suddenly Naruto and Sasuke are at my front door. I didn't realize you meant now." Shikamaru stared at Gaara then looked at Naruto and Kurama.

Naruto and Gaara stared long at each other then nodded and looked towards the others.

"Well… you might not believe us, but we found this book…" Naruto brought out the book that was titled "_The tale of the great nine-tailed beasts". _Shikamaru grabbed the book and opened it up. Temari, Kankuro, and Sasuke gathered around to read.

After several minutes, Shikamaru handed the book back and opened the gate. "That's a good enough reason for now."

"So… Gaara, Naruto," Kankuro started as they began walking into the forest, "am I guessing you guys think this tanuki is Shukaku? And that, that fox in Naruto's jacket is Kurama?"

"That is right, Kankuro." Gaara responded. "We believe this tale to be true, and that these smaller forms are just what the great tailed beasts have now taken because of their lack of power."

"I see… Well, good enough for me, but I'm still coming along to make sure you're safe."

"I am as well!" Temari stated. Gaara smiled lightly in response then watched where he was going.

Naruto glanced back at Sasuke and smiled before slowing his pace to match his. "Sasuke," Naruto began with a whisper, "what's on your mind?"

"Ah… erm, just that story." Sasuke responded then looked down at the ground. _I better not tell Naruto what I found out. Not yet. I can't be sure if what I learned coincides with that story._

"I… hope you're doing alright. I know I've caused a lot of problems for you." Naruto looked away sadly then lightly pulled Kurama out of his jacket placing him on his shoulder. Sasuke stared at Kurama then looked at Naruto before punching him in the arm.

"Idiot. Stop worrying so much, otherwise you're going to put yourself in a panicked state." Sasuke rolled his eyes. Naruto looked back giving a grin before looking ahead.

Several minutes passed and soon the sun was beginning to set. Shikamaru stopped and waved to the group. "This is as far as we go. It's too dark to go much farther. Maybe in the morning we can try to attempt this, but I don't think we're going to find anything tonight."

"But!" Gaara and Naruto protested at the same time.

"No, Shikamaru is right, Gaara." Temari crossed her arms glaring at the two boys.

"C'mon, Idiot." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's arm and began to trace back their footsteps with Kankuro in the lead. Naruto groaned as he let Sasuke pull him along. He sighed looking down at Kurama and swore he thought he looked sad and disappointed. He felt that way as well. Naruto glanced back at Gaara and gave a shrug. Gaara nodded and followed after them with Shikamaru and Temari behind.

-oO0-o)

_Knock, knock, knock._

Naruto groaned and rolled over not wanting to get up.

_**Naruto.**_

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Go away…" Naruto mumbled through his pillow.

_**I cannot. You must get up now.**_

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Why… it's Saturday…"

_**Have you forgotten? We must find Shukaku.**_

"Who…?"

"NARUTO! GET UP." Suddenly, weight fell on Naruto's back making him yelp out. He groaned loudly as the weight vanished. He turned onto his back to see Sasuke glaring from above.

"Ugh… did you have to do that, Sasuke?"

"Yes, now come on. Everyone's waiting." Sasuke pulled Naruto to his feet then pushed him toward his closet. "I'll be in the living room with Gaara and the girls."

"Okay, okay…" Naruto yawned greatly as he shuffled through his closet. He heard Sasuke leave and only then did he think about what Sasuke said. _The girls? Who's he talking about?_

_**Naruto-sama.**_

Naruto blinked and looked around feeling as if he heard a voice. Then he realized it was the same voice that had told him to get up before Sasuke. It had also told him about finding Shukaku.

"Who's there?"

_**It is I, Kurama, Naruto-sama.**_

Naruto turned and stared down at Kurama who was at his feet. His eyes widened as he saw Kurama now had two tails instead of the one. Slowly, Naruto knelt down and bit his lip.

"You… you can talk?" Naruto hesitantly asked. Kurama nodded his head. "Since when?"

_**I have always spoken to you, Naruto-sama.**_

"What's with the sama all of the sudden? You didn't call me that a few moments ago." Naruto raised an eyebrow completely ignoring the fact that this fox was speaking to him to his mind.

_**I know. I felt that it was the proper time to address you as such now that you understand what is going on. Regardless of that, we must hurry. Shukaku needs us.**_

"Wait, why are you talking to me fully now? I finally remembered hearing you call out my name since November I think it was."

_**You already have your answer to that.**_

Naruto stared at Kurama intently for a moment then nodded and got dressed. He headed out of his bedroom with Kurama following after. He peeked his head into the living room to see Sasuke, Gaara, and surprisingly Sakura and Hinata.

"Hinata! Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he came into the living room fully.

"Ah, well…" Hinata began, "Sakura-chan was worried about Sasuke-kun so she called me up and dragged me out here to check on him… And, I um… came to check up on you." Hinata smiled shyly as she went up to lightly grab Naruto's hand. Naruto blinked then smiled at her.

"I said and acted pretty strangely to Sakura," Sasuke spoke up. "It probably made her think I was going crazy."

"What? I did not think that!" Sakura protested. Sasuke grinned at her but then sighed.

"Even so, I'm sorry for my behavior."

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto looked between the two then went over to Gaara. "Gaara, I gotta tell you something! Kurama can talk!"

Gaara's eyes widened as he stared at Naruto then at Kurama. "Truly?"

"Yeah!"

_**It is so. Gaara-sama, I am honored to be able to speak to you finally.**_ Kurama bowed his head to Gaara. Gaara bowed his head back.

Naruto smiled then realized the rest of the room was silent. He sweat dropped realizing they probably heard Kurama as well.

"Okay… Sasuke-kun wasn't over exaggerating…" Sakura mumbled as she stared at Kurama.

"This I didn't know though…" Sasuke looked unsure as he also stared at Kurama.

_**I know this is sudden, but we must go now. Shukaku needs us.**_

In an instant, Gaara was up and nodding. "Let us go then."

Everyone else regained their composure and nodded as well.

-oO0-o)

Naruto, Gaara, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata were walking as fast as they could through the snow. They were following after Kurama who was leading them through the same forest as yesterday. Shikamaru had to leave with his father earlier, so they had to rely solely on Kurama's nose to find Shukaku.

It wasn't pleasant.

It had begun to snow heavily as they had reached the gate. Thankfully, it was unlocked, but even so the snow had piled up even higher over night making travel through it hardly bearable. A couple of times some of them even fell in the snow creating a risk of them getting snow inside their clothing. And now they were so deep in the forest they weren't even sure they could make it back.

"Kurama," Naruto shouted through the snow, "how much further?"

_**We are close.**_

"We better be…" Sasuke growled then shivered. "It's getting way too cold and dangerous for us to be out here any longer."

_**I understand. Just a little bit further.**_

Knowing and needing to trust Kurama, the group pushed forward. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other then back at the girls then back at each other thinking the same thought.

They shouldn't have come.

Naruto looked in front at Kurama who hopped through the thick snow disappearing each time he dropped after a hop. The snow was getting higher. Naruto glanced at Gaara who was right behind Kurama. He seemed determined and focused.

_He must be freezing though…_ Naruto thought. _This weather is something that doesn't really exist in Suna. I hope he'll be okay._

_**There!**_ Kurama squeaked out as he hopped faster towards a large tree. The tree was magnificent. It was wide enough to fit at least ten people across in a line. It also had a small entrance that was only accessible by crawling. Kurama slipped inside making the group stop and stare warily at it. _**Please, come inside.**_

Seeing no other choice, they dropped down on their knees and crawled in.

Much to their surprise, it was warm. Confusion swept through the group making them suspicious on whether the dry earth was just making them hallucinate the warmth, or if it was really there.

Gaara spotted Shukaku first and immediately went over to him picking him up. "Shukaku?" He asked tentatively.

The tanuki in Gaara's arms blinked up at him and nodded.

Naruto sighed great relief that they found him in time. Everyone huddled around Gaara staring at Shukaku. Kurama hopped next to Gaara and looked around at everyone.

_**I must tell you something now that Shukaku has been saved.**_

"I don't like the sound of this…" Sasuke groaned as he pulled off his jacket feeling too warm now.

"You're going to tell us something bad, huh?" Sakura asked as she did the same with her jacket.

_**Unfortunately, yes. Sasuke-sama, you already know of this, but you felt hesitant about its truth.**_

Naruto glanced and Sasuke then grabbed him. "Wait, you know what Kurama is going to tell us, and you didn't let me know beforehand? Why would you do that, Sasuke? You know how important this is to me."

"Naruto, stop! I wasn't sure at first of the truth of it so I don't want to worry you." Sasuke didn't even try to budge Naruto off him.

"You could have told me anyway!" Naruto growled.

"Naruto-kun, please stop!" Hinata shouted out as she softly grabbed Naruto's hands. "The cold has made all of us tense and easy to anger. Let us just listen to what Kurama-sama has to say… We need to calm ourselves as we listen." Hinata gently pulled Naruto's hands off Sasuke and held them in her hands.

Naruto stared at Hinata for a moment then settled down. "You're right, Hinata…I'm sorry, Sasuke."

"It's okay… Hinata's right after all. We do need to calm down." Sasuke took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"So, um, Kurama… What is it you wish to tell us?"

_**Gaara-sama, do you feel a connection to Shukaku?**_

Gaara blinked at Kurama before looking down at Shukaku. "I… yes. I feel a great connection to him. When I learned of his name I couldn't get him out of my mind."

Kurama nodded, seeming satisfied with that answer. He looked at Naruto. _**Naruto-sama, do you feel a connection with me?**_

"Yes." Naruto's answer was full of belief. "I have the same feelings as Gaara does. The first time I saw you as a child and at that time in the park I had an unusual feeling in my chest."

_**Good. Then it is time I tell you a tale, a tale of a warning that we nine tailed beasts told the people of the old. Long ago, we ruled over this great land. All of us were at different regions taking care of the places that suited our powers most. We created the land and the people who now reside here. Although, there were nine main areas in the past, only five of them remain strong.**_

_**We ruled the land with the people and taught them how to manage it. Throughout the long years we lived in harmony with each other. There were no wars, suffering, or chaos. That didn't last very long though.**_

_**A small group, calling themselves Akatsuki, deemed that our time of rule was over. They claimed that they knew all they could about the land, and they had no more desire for our wisdom. They thought that we were trying to control the people, so they created an ugly lie making many believe this. The book that you read is the newest of the tale, but it was not the oldest. I was surprised it was still around.**_

_**Akatsuki had destroyed any knowledge that we were creatures of good nature. They wanted the people to cast us aside and "dethrone" us. We tried to warn them that something terrible would happen, but the lies of Akatsuki were too great.**_

_**A horrible event happened after that. The land suddenly sucked us of our powers and dwindled our forms to be small shells of our former bodies. With our powers gone, we could be killed and Akatsuki was almost successful in doing so.**_

_**Thankfully, there were a few clans that were able to keep us alive: The Uzumaki clan, the Uchiha Clan, the Hyuuga Clan, the Senju Clan, and the Sarutobi Clan. With their help they were able to keep us save and hide us away. They were strong clans so Akatsuki could not do much to stop them.**_

_**Before we were hidden away though... we told the people one last warning:**_

"_**Without us, the land will die. This will not occur now, but many years along the road when all of the memories of this time have died, it will happen. Lands will begin to suffer terrible environmental changes, and a great sickness will spread. Because of your disregard for who we are our powers have been stolen by the land, and thus created a horrible power to manifest itself. All will perish because of this.**_

"_**Yet, there is a way to save this land. Those that have continued to believe and trust in us might be able to save this land one day. When they appear again in this land, we will make ourselves known to them and the connection between us will guide each land back into balance. This is the last wisdom and warning we will give you."**_

Kurama stopped and looked to Gaara and Naruto with red eyes full of intent, passion, and desperation. _**Gaara-sama, Naruto-sama. We need you. The time has come, and the land is already beginning to use our powers. Something must be done for us to regain our powers. Please help us!**_

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

And with that, my friends, a brand new journey begins.

About the Clans that saved the tailed beasts: Are the other two clans that have not appeared going to have major roles? In a way, they already have. Think about what those two clans represented in the manga, and then think how it could and has applied here!

I hope that you're enjoying this story.


	14. Understanding

I made a small error that doesn't really matter, but I wrote "it has almost been two years" when Sasuke was formulating, when it should have been nine years. I changed that paragraph around. Also, I messed up on the dates x.x I was looking at the wrong year! Not really an issue. Just letting you know. (This is for the readers that have already read before I updated it)

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

**January, Day and Time unknown.**

Sasuke's eyes flew open as he looked around. He felt overly hot, which made him unsure where exactly he was. Then, slowly, he adjusted to his surroundings.

He, Naruto, Gaara, Hinata, Sakura, and the tailed beast creatures were all lying about and sleeping in a large tree. It was the same tree that they had found the one tailed beast, Shukaku. Everyone was still asleep except for the nine tailed beast, Kurama, which he only possessed two tails at this point. He was staring at the exit to the tree probably observing the weather outside.

Since they had come here looking for Shukaku, several days had passed. They weren't even sure how long it had been since they had been stuck here due to the horrible snow storm outside. Using cell phones to contact people were impossible. Service barely worked out in the woods to begin with, and now with the storm there was zero chance for any service. It pained and frightened them wondering what their families could be thinking about, and how desperate they would be to search in this weather.

Until the storm died down, they could only rely on Kurama to get them food. Water could be melted down from the snow, so that wasn't as bad as trying to get food. Kurama and Shukaku claimed they didn't need as much to eat, but it was evident they were getting exhausted.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto to see Gaara leaning on his shoulder on the left with Shukaku in his lap, and Hinata laying her head in Naruto's lap from his right. All four were asleep, but looked very fatigued. Sasuke looked down in his own lap to see Sakura there. A smile came to his face as he placed his hand on her head softly then sighed and looked over at Kurama.

"Is… it over yet?" Sasuke asked with a whisper. Kurama shook his head.

_**I am afraid not. The storm has yet to settle. I will go out to hunt again.**_

"Wait… I've been meaning to ask you something, and for once everyone is asleep." Sasuke thought for a moment before continuing. "Why exactly have you asked for Naruto and Gaara's help…? I can see why you might seek out Naruto for the fact he comes from the Uzumaki Clan, but otherwise…"

Something sounding like a sigh came from Kurama before he turned to look at Sasuke.

_**It is hard to explain, but there is an odd connection between us. We can feel connections when any of us tailed beasts are near our container, but I could not feel, let us say, if you were container unless the tailed beast connected to you was near. Perhaps it is decedents, but perhaps it could be just a strong spiritual bond.**_

"I see…" Sasuke nodded slowly as he glanced over at Naruto and Gaara. "Wait, container? What do you mean by that?"

_**The one whom has the ability to control our powers and make them whole. When I first came in contact with Naruto-sama when he was just a child I had nine tails.**_

Sasuke flinched at that looking over at Kurama. "Why do you only have two now…?"

_**My power… seeped into Naruto-sama when I accidentally bit him.**_ Kurama bowed his head as if in shame. _**I was trying to protect him from a dangerous beast when he intervened trying to stop us. He got in the way and I bit his arm near his shoulder. It immediately knocked him out. Since I had a connection with him instead of just being bit some of my power seeped inside. His aggressive behavior may come from not being able to handle it very well… **_Kurama raised his head looking back at Sasuke. _**To answer your question, I'm losing my power. When we are not near our container after finding them, our powers slowly dwindle over time. I have been following Naruto for a while so my powers have not died as much, but when I lost sight of him for a bit my tails began to vanish at a rapid rate. The other beasts that have more than one tail will be like this as well, but not as badly as I have suffered. When we are near our container, we gain our power back, thankfully, but only if they have belief in us. I'm slowly gaining back my tails because of Naruto-sama. As I stated, being near them just slows the process, and without a strong belief in us we will not get our powers back.**_

"This…" Sasuke bit his lip not sure what he could say. "This is very overwhelming…"

_**Yes, we do apologize for giving you such burdens, but there is no choice. This weather is proof of that. I imagine Suna will begin to experience cold fronts.**_

"No choice, huh? Is this… happening everywhere?"

_**No. Just in the areas that Shukaku and I once ruled over: Sunagakure no Sato and Konohagakure no Sato. It might be because Shukaku and I are the only ones that have located our containers. I do not yet sense the presences of the other tailed beats upon this land.**_

"I see…" Sasuke wasn't sure if there was much else he could say to that.

_**If that is all for the moment, I will go and hunt again.**_

"Oh, yeah, please do." Sasuke nodded and leaned back against the tree. Kurama crawled out and was gone. A silent sigh escaped Sasuke's lips and he closed his eyes to try and drift back to sleep.

"That's why I'm like this? I guess that makes sense." Sasuke's eyes flew up at the sound of Naruto's voice. He looked over and stared seeing Naruto staring straight back at him.

"You… heard?" Sasuke asked swallowing some.

"Yeah… Kurama's not very good at keeping his voice down in my head. I have a feeling that I hear it no matter what." Naruto looked down at Hinata gently rubbing her head. "You know… maybe I always realized it, about Kurama I mean. After I was bit by him my favorite color became orange; it used to be green. When I began collecting manga, I was particularly interested in stories about kitsune. I even really loved foxes as my favorite animal. Maybe not only because Kurama and I were connected, but also because his power was inside of me that I turned out this way. How could I hate something that he was himself? I don't truly understand what's going on, but I know that… even so I'm not going to let Kurama down."

There was a soft smile on Naruto's face. It relaxed Sasuke and made him smile himself, but those smiles faded away when they heard the howling of the wind.

"I pray that whatever Kurama and Shukaku need you and Gaara for… it works."

-oO0-o)

The crackling of a fire and its glow radiated inside the large tree with the cooking of meat drifting into the air. Sasuke felt his stomach growl as he cooked up the meat. It was a little bit disturbing at first to eat animals, but there had been no choice at all and now they had gotten used to it.

Sasuke cut open the meat and poked at it making sure it wasn't raw before taking it off the fire and then began to cut it into strips. He heard the voices of Naruto and Gaara as they began to converse about what to do about the tailed beasts. He also heard Hinata and Sakura chatting quietly about what their friends were up to. A soft sigh escaped Sasuke's lips hoping they could escape this terrible storm soon.

Soon, it was time for food and everyone remained quiet as they ate. Sasuke looked around at everyone knowing their thoughts now that it was silent enough to think on their own.

_We all want out of here._ Sasuke thought as he scooped up some water to drink. _We can't keep surviving like this. Rather, we won't survive much longer like this._ He glanced at everyone to see that a small depression had hit the air. _Is there no hope at all? Did coming this far for these creatures actually not do anything to help? This is ridiculous!_

Suddenly, Sasuke heard a noise. He slowly stood up and looked toward the outside. He couldn't be sure what it was. It sounded like a creaking noise.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started as she stood up with him. "What's wrong?"

"I hear something. Be quiet for a moment, please." Sasuke softly asked. Sakura grabbed his arm and stared at the tree with worry.

Out of nowhere, bark began to rip and flew towards Sasuke and Sakura. There was no time react, but luckily they didn't have to. Kurama flew faster than the bark and he pounced on Sakura's back pushing her forward that pushed Sasuke forward. Both fell down onto the ground with a thump as the bark flew just right over their heads.

The bark collided with the other part of the tree and exploded sending pieces everywhere. The wind began to howl louder and became rapidly fiercer.

"We gotta get out of here!" Naruto shouted through the wind. Where the bark had come off there was a hole that now let in the wind and snow. The fire was gone in an instant and snow piled through covering everyone.

_**You are right, Naruto-sama.**_ Kurama's voice floated over and easily understandable through the wind. Sasuke sat up and grabbed Sakura pulling her close as he turned away from the wind. _**Naruto-sama… I require your strength.**_

"Anything, Kurama! I'll give you whatever you need so I can protect everyone!" Naruto yelled pulling Hinata close and wrapping an arm around Gaara's shoulder as Gaara held Shukaku close.

Before Kurama could respond, a light flashed and suddenly he had five tails. His fur gleam brightly and wind whirled around him. Naruto, without warning, dropped to his knees taking Hinata and Gaara with him.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted as he looked about to run over there.

"Sasuke… I… I'm okay. Just feel like my energy has been sapped." Naruto gave a smile as Hinata and Gaara helped him stand up. Sasuke gave a nod and glanced at Kurama feeling a great strength flow out of him.

_**Everyone, come to me.**_ Kurama commanded and they obeyed. As soon as they were around Kurama, wind surrounded them and the snow blew around them. Kurama's tails flashed up and pointed in different directions. With that motion, the bark began to crumble and shatter. It went flying everywhere causing a few panic noises to escape. Sasuke watched as Kurama hopped into the air and was suddenly floating.

_This is crazy! Is this the power of a tailed beast?_ Before Sasuke could think again, they were lifted into the air in a bubble of wind. "Whoa! What is this?"

_**My power. Do not worry; I will carry you to safety. Hold onto the person closest to you and close your eyes.**_ Sasuke pulled Sakura close and closed his eyes. A rushing feeling passed through his body. He could feel that they were moving extremely fast.

_We're going home._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Naruto-_

Kurama landed down in front of the Uchiha police building. The wind vanished and the children were placed down. Naruto blinked slowly as he opened his eyes. He could hardly believe where they were.

"We're… back in Konoha?" Naruto asked as he looked around. Snow was beginning to fall quickly on them.

_**Yes, thanks to you, Naruto-sama.**_ Kurama hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and rested upon it.

Before Naruto could respond, shouts approached them. Naruto looked at the Uchiha police building seeing Obito, his parents, Itachi, Hinata's father, Sakura's mother, and Gaara's siblings with Shikamaru's father.

Obito reached them first and hugged Sasuke with Sakura. "You're here! You're alright!"

"Ugh! Cousin Obito…!" Sasuke groaned as he was placed down.

"Naruto!" Minato came over and took Naruto from Gaara and Hinata. "Thank goodness you are alive. Where were you? How did you get here? What happened?"

"Whoa, Minato," it was Itachi coming up behind them, "let's get them inside before they freeze to death."

"Oh, yes of course…" Minato held Naruto close, as did the rest of the parents with their children, as they headed inside the building.

Once all the children had something warm to drink and were changed into dry clothes, Naruto began to explain what happened, and how they got stuck out in the storm. Sasuke filled in any gaps that he left out, but they were able to completely explain everything. Kurama even spoke to the parents about how he was able to get them back here. Eventually though, it was time to explain about the tailed beasts and what they wanted with Gaara and Naruto…

"You want to take my son and try to use him?" Minato argued as he looked suspiciously over at Kurama.

"I don't like this idea…" Shikaku, Shikamaru's dad, mumbled looking over at Shukaku.

"I think these creatures are insane!" Temari growled glaring at the tailed beasts.

Naruto glanced at Gaara who glanced back at him as the adults began to argue. He could tell they both had the same thought. _How do we convince everyone?_ He turned to look at Kurama who was sitting in his lap. Kurama stared up at Naruto slowly blinking.

_**I… have something I must tell you, Naruto-sama...**_ Kurama spoke up._** When we first met… I did something that I didn't mean to do. I…**_

"It's okay…" Naruto whispered quietly enough so no one else but Gaara could hear. "I already know! It's impossible for you to keep your voice out of my head. I heard you talking to Sasuke and… I don't understand what kind of power you gave me that made me this way but hey, I'm really thankful and grateful to you." Naruto gave a grin and smile at Kurama. Kurama blinked several times, and then bowed his head.

_**I… am truly… graced by your presence.**_ Naruto blinked at that and couldn't respond. He gave an embarrassed smile at Gaara who gently smiled back.

"We should tell everyone how we truly feel about this." Gaara suggest as he looked down at Shukaku. "I know he hasn't spoken yet, but I feel as if he is just unable to because of how much disbelief is going on. It affects them greatly after all."

"Yeah… you're right." Naruto smiled at Gaara.

"You are better with words than I am, so whatever you say you have my full support." Gaara smiled back.

Naruto nodded, held Kurama in his arms, and then stood up. "Everyone, I have something to say."

Everyone stopped bickering and looked toward Naruto. Naruto caught Sasuke's eye and saw a smile go across his face. More confidence filled Naruto before he pulled Gaara to his feet too.

"I know this is sudden, and that this situation seems unrealistic in every way, but it needs to be accepted. What has happened can't just be ignored can it?" Naruto glanced to his mother and father and saw that they had tried to dismiss this. Naruto gave a quick nod before walking with Gaara following. "When I was a child, I was bitten by Kurama. No, Dad, don't get up. It wasn't his fault, but it has kept me alive and made me who I am today. Without his power, I might have never met Sasuke, Sakura-chan, or any of my friends today. Things happen, and choices are made around what happens in our lives. If I hadn't fought with people, would we have moved? Everything we do, all the things we experience, don't we learn from them? Don't we become stronger?

"Kurama, Shukaku… all the tailed-beasts, didn't they want to always help people? We have a choice in whether we help them or not and to believe in them. Look what happened when the belief vanished. Wars started, people split up and began to hate each other, and the world slowly began to die. I'm not saying it's entirely the fault of those in the past for all the issues of today, but isn't it the root of where it started? Look around us. Konoha is suffering from not only weather, but other disturbances. Gangs starting everywhere, disregards for others, and even businesses are being screwed up. We're blaming this on everyone around us, but… isn't it because we won't take the blame ourselves…?"

Naruto took a deep breath and looked at everyone's faces in the room. He had their full attention and could see he was getting through to them. He stopped moving before beginning again.

"Dad, you are against this idea because I am your son and you want to protect me, right? Also, you don't know a thing about Kurama and have never believed in mythical things." Naruto raised an eyebrow at his father. Minato stared at Naruto and then dropped his head giving a nod. Naruto turned to Shikaku and Gaara's siblings. "You guys feel the same about Gaara, no? You don't want anything to happen to him, especially everything you've all been through. Shikaku, you're Gaara's caretaker while he's over here. It's your responsibility, and you must uphold that for sure so if anything were to happen to him you would feel very much upset and at fault…"

Shikaku, Temari, and Kankuro couldn't give a response at all. The truth was clearly on their faces.

"Yet, if we don't do anything at all, won't we all be affected and upset? This is all very hard to take…" Naruto bowed his head. "Even for me… someone who has been affected since the beginning, but it's upon us now and we cannot simply dismiss or ignore it! These great tailed beasts have come to _US_ for help. If they could handle this on their own, don't you think they would already? We must believe in them, so they can believe in us." Naruto placed Kurama on his shoulder and crossed his arms now that he finished with what he wanted to say.

The room was silent and all the adults were hard in thought. It almost looked like they were trying to go against this, but at the same time trying to accept it. Naruto's words hit them hard, and he knew this.

"I agree with Naruto completely." Sasuke spoke up turning everyone's attention to him. He stood by Naruto and patted his free shoulder.

"Me too!" Sakura came up next to Sasuke with a determined look.

"I… I do as well. Naruto is right about what we have to do." Hinata shyly spoke as she came to Naruto's other side grabbing his hand.

"I made my choice to believe in Naruto when I became Naruto's friend." Gaara smiled before looking at Shukaku in his arms. "And I know the tailed beasts need our help because they have always helped us."

Naruto swallowed hard as he looked back and forth at his friends. He held back the tears he could feel forming. He took a deep breath and looked to his parents to see them smiling as well.

"Well…" Itachi stood up and came up to Naruto and his friends giving a bow. "Naruto is right. Unlike some of us, he's got a strong will." Itachi lightly smacked Naruto in the head playfully before rubbing Sasuke's. "But then so do his friends. What do you think, Minato? They've grown, haven't they?"

Minato slowly stood up and crossed his arms. "Yes they have Itachi. All of them. I think it's about time we stop thinking we know what we're doing, eh?"

"Ah, it's troublesome, but I second that." Shikaku mumbled with a smile.

"You aren't going anywhere without me, Gaara!" Kankuro grinned punching his hands together then was abruptly pushed over by Temari.

"I'm going as well! I'll support you." Temari grabbed Gaara's hand giving a smile. Naruto could see Kankuro glaring making him give a small laugh.

"I gotta admit," Obito started. "When they put their minds to it, these kids really can accomplish anything! Naruto proved that with how he befriended Gaara and with Sasuke giving him back his faith in his friends. I'll give all the support I can." Obito gave a salute with a smile.

That had almost been all the parents. The only ones that hadn't spoken at all were Sakura's mother and Hinata's father. Naruto bit his lip as he stared after them wondering what they were going to say.

Sakura's mother spoke first. "Sakura… I… I don't want you to go."

"But Mom!" Sakura began to argue, but stopped when her mother placed a hand up.

"But… I can see you've truly made amazing friends since moving here to Konoha. I… am grateful for that, and I wouldn't tear you away from such things." A smile crossed her face. "Please be careful."

"Of course, Mom. Always!" Sakura grinned punching her fist into the air.

"I suppose I have to give a word in this as well…" Hiashi finally spoke. He got up and came over to Naruto and Hinata placing a hand on both of them. "If I had never met Naruto-san I would have thought he was a rambunctious child that only caused issues, and I would have never let him date my daughter. Yet, I see the special heart he truly has. The will to never give up and the ability to always care for others around him regardless of how it hurts him is something very special. You… gave my daughter more life into what she does, and took care of my nephew. For that, I am truly grateful. I give my blessings again."

Naruto stared dumbfounded at the adults for a moment before giving a gleeful shout that was quickly followed by his friends. Kurama chipped in with his foxing yip and even Shukaku started making noises.

Naruto glanced around at all of his friends as they hugged their parents and family. Minato lightly touched Kurama on the head before giving Naruto a hug which was followed by a group hug from his mother.

Happiness spilled into the room and overwhelmed Naruto. He couldn't help but begin to cry. He had never felt this much acknowledgement before and it was something that made him truly happy. He looked up at the ceiling and gave a giant smile.

_I've made wonderful friends and family, Grandfather._

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Woo! Chapter over. I thought it would be longer, but I decided against putting what I was going to put in and just save it for the next chapter. It's going to be a little bit short, but focus on Sasuke and Sakura! (Finally)

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Took me a bit to write it x.x. Tell me what you think or if you have other ideas I should put in! Thanks for reading.


	15. Valentine's Day

I was going to post this chapter way earlier, but my computer decided to be mean and destroy my OS by accident. All my stuff is fine, which is good. Computer is up and running again to a point, so the next chapters should be posted up faster than this one.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sasuke-_

**February 1st, Friday afternoon.**

Sasuke dashed down the hallway with Naruto following quickly after. Surprisingly enough, the snow had stopped and melted just enough that children could get back to school again. It felt out of place to not be in school for so long, but it was good to be back.

Sasuke flew out the doors and skidded on the ice that had frozen over. He slipped and fell backwards giving a groan as he hurt his back. Naruto followed his lead accidentally and slipped, but kept on sliding. He flew into Sasuke and made both of them crash into a pile of snow. Sasuke gasped for breath as he popped out and twitched when he heard muffled laughter.

Moments later, Naruto popped out of the snow laughing hard. Sasuke punched him in the arm as he struggled to get out.

"I've officially come to hate snow and ice," Sasuke mumbled as he finally got out of the snow. He pulled Naruto out and dusted off his hair that was full of fluff. Naruto grinned and sweat dropped as he pulled on his jacket. Sasuke watched as a ton of snow fell out and gave a laugh. "Let's just get home before we freeze."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed with a shiver. He shook his head and then carefully began to walk. Sasuke followed him after holding his book bag closely. They left the school grounds and took to the sidewalks where there was more snow and less ice.

Sasuke watched the road as they walked home. It was empty due to the fact that only a few cars with special tires could drive on it. Even though the snow had melted, the ice had greatly frozen the roads preventing travel to anywhere. It was still cold enough that ice wouldn't melt, which confused Sasuke as it was the other way around when it came to the melting of snow and ice.

Usually, ice would melt off first and snow would be left around before disappearing. Sasuke groaned as he thought about what Kurama had said about the weather disturbances due to the land dying. _It's not going to get any better just because it looks like it is._ Sasuke thought with a sigh. It made him remember how long he and his friends had been stuck out in the snow.

They had been out there for about a week, and the weather hadn't even gotten better until another week later. Sasuke was greatly surprised to see that it had settled down, but felt depressed thinking again that it wouldn't last. Kurama had made it sound like it wasn't going to end even when Spring and Summer came around.

When they arrived back at the house, Sasuke waved goodbye to Naruto as he entered his house. Itachi wasn't home yet as he was out helping Obito with clearing out ice on the roads. Due to the unnatural weather, there also had been no homework given. That left Sasuke with little to do.

Sasuke shivered greatly when he realized the house had been empty and no heat had flowed in. Quickly, he went over to the thermostat before turning it on. He stared at it as he heard it come to life, but gave a frown.

"It's going to take a while for the house to warm up…" Sasuke sighed and looked at the clock. "I guess… I can take a shower." He softly spoke aloud before going into his room and putting his school things away. He went into his closest and grabbed a long sleeved shirt with warm pajama like pants. With his clothes ready, he headed into the bathroom to shower.

On a split second reaction, Sasuke had instead taken a bath and had taken over an hour to get out. As he strolled into the kitchen feeling refreshed and warm with a towel over his head he noticed a note attached to a bowl of food. Sasuke picked up the note and gave a sigh.

It read:

"Sasuke, I didn't want to disturb you and I didn't have enough time to stay, but here's a bowl of chicken gravy over rice that I cooked earlier today. I won't be back until either late tonight or tomorrow, so please make sure to turn off the thermostat before you go to sleep.

-Love Itachi."

Sasuke placed the letter aside and uncovered the food before sitting down to eat it. It was still warm, so it had probably just been cooked up. Sasuke looked at the clock to read 5:25p.m. before munching on his food.

_I must have just missed Itachi._ Sasuke thought as he poked at his food. _I had music on while in the bath, so if he spoke I sure didn't hear it._

After finishing up his meal, Sasuke headed into his room grabbing his cell phone. He blinked when he noticed he had a few unread texts. He shifted through them rolling his eyes when most of them were from Naruto explaining how Kurama was doing, and also about random stuff that happened to be on his mind.

Just before he was going to answer, Sasuke noticed another text that had only occurred a few minutes ago. Taking off his towel and sitting on his bed he stared at it wondering who it was from.

It was a cell number from Konoha, but that's all he could determine. Giving a frown, he opened it up and read the text.

"Um, I hope this is the right number… But it's Sakura! Naruto gave me your number cause I guess you had forgot to give it to me. I didn't ask either, so we're both at fault, haha."

A smile slowly crept on Sasuke's face as he saved the number, and then answered the text.

"Yup, this is Sasuke's phone alright. Yeah, my bad. I should have thought about that sooner. I'll have to thank Naruto for that. How are you doing, Sakura?"

Sasuke placed his phone down, but jumped when he heard it ring off immediately. He opened it up to see a text from Naruto that sounded concerned. He mentally hit himself that he forgot to respond then texted Naruto back about how he had been taking a long bath.

A few moments later, a text from Sakura came in reading:

"I'm doing great except I hate all this snow… It's horrible! I felt like all my clothes were soaked when I got back to my dorm room. Did you have to face worse going home today?"

Sasuke laughed imagining Sakura's white coat dripping water everywhere she walked before he replied to her saying:

"It wasn't so bad until I got out of the school building. Slipped on some ice, but then Naruto ran into me and we slid into the snow. It was not fun."

Sasuke closed his phone and stretched as a thought came to his mind. He hadn't drawn in a while, but he thought now was the best out of any other. He bent down at a desk and opened up the drawer pulling out a booklet with drawing sheets in it. Grabbing a pencil, he went back over to his bed and began to draw.

Hours past, and it was well beyond midnight by the time Sasuke crawled into bed. He and Sakura had stayed up all night texting, and just a few hours ago they had started up voice chatting. He reached over placing the charger on his cell phone that was close to dying before yawing greatly. He gave a smile as he closed his eyes and wishfully gaving a soft sight hoping that he could have many more conversations like this with Sakura.

_I think… I'm almost ready to tell her._ Sasuke thought just before he fell asleep.

-oO0-o)

**February 4th, Monday, 7th period.**

"That's a pretty drawing, is it for a girl?"

Sasuke jumped when he heard Deidara's voice behind him. Quickly, he covered his hands over the drawing and glanced up at Deidara with a glare.

"No, it's for the author of this story whose birthday is today." Sasuke replied. Deidara gave Sasuke a confused look opening his mouth so say something, but closed it as he raised an eyebrow. "I'm joking. Naruto said something stupid like that today after reading a weird poem in English."

"Ahaha, yeah that sounds like something Naruto-kun would say. The other teachers always tell me how odd he is." Deidara rubbed his head before moving Sasuke's hands away. "But seriously, who is it for? I've never seen you draw something really soft like this. The last soft thing I saw was of that other cherry blossom, but this…"

Sasuke glanced down at his work and grumbled under his breath wondering why Deidara was so interested. It was very lightly drawn as Sasuke had yet begun to apply more detail. He blushed when he realized he had drawn all the things that had reminded him of Sakura.

It was a small hill with a cherry blossom bloomed at the top. There were a few flowers here and there, but he hadn't placed any detail into the hill yet. He had drawn in a few light clouds with the cherry blossom's branches in a light swaying motion. It was one of the few pieces of work that he actually worked hard to get accurate.

_A cherry blossom tree, a grassy hill with flowers, light flowing clouds, and a warm breeze._ Sasuke thought as he remained silent with Deidara staring at him curiously. _This is a place I would love to spend time with Sakura at. Too bad such a place doesn't exist…_

"I'll just wait for the final product then," Deidara finally spoke as he began to walk away. "Alright class! I'm not sure if you have heard about this or not yet today, but the Valentine's Festival is next week. Like during the other festivals, the art rooms will become work stations. There are no assignments due, but please remember that I'll be checking portfolio's in March, so don't slack in your work!" With that, Deidara went into his office to let the students continue working.

Sasuke blinked slowly as he pondered over Deidara's words. _Valentine's Festival?_ Sasuke pulled out his school book and flipped through it until he found the calendar. Thursday of next week was indeed Valentine's Day. It was usually a day he greatly avoided. He was quite popular with the girls as a kid because he had inherited good looks. It frustrated him greatly when he got tons of cards and chocolate, which he usually tossed the chocolate at Naruto who didn't get any because he was thought of as a delinquent.

But without realizing it, a smile slowly crept onto Sasuke's face as he thought of Valentine's Day. This year, it was going to be different for him. He glanced down at the picture he was working on and began to work on it again.

_I'll finish this and give it to her. I know exactly what I want to do with it now. Thanks Deidara-sensei… Although, I'll never say that aloud!_

-oO0-o)

"Sasuke, wait up!" Naruto shouted as Sasuke stopped glancing back. He had a box of materials in his hands while Naruto caught up to him with another box. They were headed over to the Konoha High as that was where the festival for this event was taking place.

"Slow poke…" Sasuke grinned as he headed out the door to head to the gates to the girls' school.

Naruto made a pouty face, but said nothing else.

Carefully, they made their way over to the Konoha High without slipping on the ice. Upon entry, Sasuke and Naruto's eyes went wide.

The hallways had already begun their decorations even though it was only the second day of preparation. Red streamers with hearts on them were hanging across the ceiling and doors while flowers hung down from different colors of red string. Sasuke and Naruto slowly made their way to the classroom where they had to help in.

Sasuke was glad that Konoha High was designed pretty much the same as Kitsune High, so they had no trouble finding the classroom where they needed to be. When they entered they saw Neji, Hinata, and Temari directly a few other girls where to hang certain decorations. Hinata looked up and smiled before running over to hug Naruto who almost fell over. Sasuke rolled his eyes as he placed his box down in front of Neji.

"Ah, Sasuke, Naruto, I'm glad that you two could make it," Neji bowed to them then frowned casting a glance behind Sasuke. "Hinata-sama…"

"Ah!" Sasuke glanced back hearing Hinata's voice. He saw her blush up greatly as she let go of Naruto. Naruto grinned and took a quick peck at her cheek before coming up next to Sasuke. Sasuke watched a Hinata's voice worsened before she came up behind Naruto burying her head in his shirt mumbling about embarrassment.

Neji groaned and grabbed Naruto and Hinata's arms before dragging them off to a different corner of the classroom. That left Sasuke and Temari by themselves to sort through the boxes on the table.

Sasuke tried to focus on his work, but he was always looking back at Naruto and Hinata. He watched as they made secret flirting passes, mostly Naruto's doing, behind Neji's back. They were fooling around more than they were actually working. Sasuke breathed out at an envious sigh as he watched how much fun they were having.

"A bit jealous of them, huh?" A voice interrupted his thoughts. He glanced up to see Temari grinning at him. He shrugged and turned to go back to work. "I know I am… They are quite happy together."

"Yeah… they really are," Sasuke couldn't help but agree. He stopped working realizing he was actually jealous of them.

"What about Sakura?" Temari asked as she leaned against the desk staring at Sasuke.

Sasuke frowned at her and crossed his arms. "What about Shikamaru?" He shot back at her. Temari's eyes widened before she blushed.

"That little shrimp? HA! What's so good about him?" Temari pouted as she turned her head away.

Sasuke shook his head as he remembered how much Temari hung out with Shikamaru when he and Naruto had visited the Nara's household over the last week after coming back from finding Shukaku. He could definitely tell that Temari had a thing for him even if he was two years younger than her.

Thinking about that made him think about how Shukaku still hadn't spoken yet. Kurama was beginning to think he had lost the ability to do so, and wouldn't get the ability to talk until after the issues had been resolved in Konoha and Suna. Sasuke slumped his shoulders thinking about how unaware and blissful everyone was right now, and not one of them knew of the impending dangers that were coming at them. So far, Kurama and Shukaku hadn't been any different in their powers, nor had any success in figuring out what to do. Gaara and Naruto had been trying many things with the tailed beasts, even from throwing them around, but nothing had worked.

Sasuke began to feel hopeless and the excitement of the festival preparation faded being replaced by depressive feelings.

"You know…" Temari began to speak making Sasuke look up just slightly at her. "Gaara's been working really hard to make things better… Naruto too. After watching them work so hard, I can't help but be happy that they're happy right now. Even with something supposedly worse coming, it makes me want to believe that even if it seems hopeless right now it'll all be alright in the end. So, it's alright to be blissful without worry when one doesn't give up, right?" Temari turned to look at Sasuke with a gentle smile.

Sasuke stared at her then gave a small laugh. "I swear, you can read minds."

"Only a little. It was written on your face the entire time you were at the Nara's. Buck up, Uchiha, and also, go get that girl and tell her your feelings before it's too late."

"Ah, wait, what?" Sasuke stuttered as his eyes widened, but before he could say anymore Temari was pushing him out the door.

"Sakura's on the second floor! Can't miss that pink, long hair running through the halls." Temari winked and closed the door locking Sasuke out.

Sasuke stared at the door with a blank expression on his face before he glared and crossed his arms. "Tch, now I'm going to get in trouble." Sighing, Sasuke turned from the classroom and headed to where the stairs would be. _No, no… why am I heading this direction?_ Sasuke stopped on the mid-way platform between the two stairways. He turned to look out the window.

"I want to see her, but… I don't feel ready again." Sasuke hung his head before turning around to head back down the stairs.

He didn't get the chance to, though, as a girl flew straight into him pinning him against the wall.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sakura-_

Sakura waved to Ino as she turned to head down the stairs to find Hinata. A smile came to her face wondering if Hinata had found Naruto or not. She giggled lightly as she skipped down the stairs. Unfortunately, she miscalculated at the last second and tripped over her own foot. Her eyes went wide as she stumbled forward and impacted into someone pining them against the wall. A blush flew onto her cheeks as she stared into two dark, familiar eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, Sakura!" Both of them shouted at the same time. Sakura blushed even more when she realized the kind of position they were in.

Sasuke was awkwardly leaned up against the wall while she had landed to be up against his chest and between his legs. She blushed even more as she slowly pushed off from his chest to stand up right. He straightened himself and glanced away. Sakura twiddled with her fingers as thoughts raced through her mind.

_I can't believe that just happened! And how I landed too…_ She felt herself blush even worse making her hands cover her face. She couldn't even look at Sasuke now with the thoughts going through her head. _Ugh, this festival is getting to me!_

"Are… you alright?" Sakura heard Sasuke ask making her look up at him. She slowly nodded "What happened there anyway? Erm, to make you fall… onto me…" Sakura watched as redness appeared heavier on Sasuke's face. It made her relax some to know she wasn't the only one embarrassed.

"Ah, I think I tripped on my foot? I made the mistake of skipping down the stairs like an idiot." Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. Sasuke turned to her and gave her a soft smile before lightly patting her head.

"Silly girl. That's dangerous to do." Sasuke crossed his arms as he leaned against the window seal. "Where are you heading anyway?"

"Oh, I was heading to find Hinata-chan to see if she had found Naruto! Hehe, I wanted to see them interact." Sakura giggled lightly as she came to lean next to Sasuke. She stared up at his face smiling, which the smile slowly faded when she saw Sasuke put a distant look up.

"The first classroom me and Naruto entered, Hinata was in there. They're being silly and flirting behind Neji's back while somewhat working." Sasuke gave a light sigh as he turned to look out the window. Sakura stared at him for a moment before looking down at the floor.

Slowly, she placed her hands behind her back and moved a foot up and down feeling a bit distant herself.

Lately, she and Sasuke had been interacting a lot on the phone, but they hadn't had any real contact otherwise. Sakura sighed quietly feeling sad about how she wanted to have a relationship like the one Hinata and Naruto had. Her eyes glanced to Sasuke and a small, sad smile came to her face making her understand that she wanted the same relationship with Sasuke.

Sakura felt her heart race and hurt at the same time. Sasuke might seem happy to spend time with her, but he hadn't ever shown any other type of interest in her. It made her very happy, yet depressed at the same time. She wanted more from him than just his friendship.

"I guess I'll leave Hinata-chan alone then…" Sakura finally responded to Sasuke as she pushed off the wall. "What were you doing, Sasuke-kun?"

It took a moment for him to reply, but when he turned to look at her, her heart fluttered greatly. "Actually, I was looking for you. I was a bit curious to see what you were up to. I hope you don't think I'm bothering you."

"Oh, no! You're definitely not a bother at all." Sakura placed her hands up before cupping them together in front of her chest. "I've been checking on the progression of the classrooms and making sure they were going well."

"Sounds like a ton of work."

"Quite a bit…" Sakura groaned as she turned around. She stared at the wall in front of her having an idea suddenly come to her. Quickly, she turned back to Sasuke grabbing his hands. A surprised look crossed his face making her smile. "Sasuke-kun, do you want to help me with that?"

"You sure it's alright?" Sasuke asked looking happy. Sakura blushed that he seemed to want to do this.

"Yes! It's no problem at all, c'mon!" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and headed down the stairs. She would avoid the side that Hinata was at and head in the opposite direction. A chance to be like this with Sasuke, even surrounded by people, was something she couldn't be happier with.

-oO0-o)

Sakura laughed greatly as she ran away from Sasuke who was throwing confetti at her. They randomly had come across an empty classroom that had a lot of boxes of confetti in it. Originally, Sakura was going to hunt down the abandoners, but Sasuke had found an opened box of confetti and threw it at Sakura, thus a confetti war had started.

So far, Sakura had the most confetti attached to her with Sasuke getting there. Sakura ducked behind the teacher's desk as she gripped the confetti to throw at Sasuke. She knew he was approaching slowly and waited the right moment to attack. When he was right on the other side of the desk, she sprung up and threw the confetti just as some flew at her.

"Gah!" Sasuke shouted out as he laughed loudly. Sakura blinked and came to his side noticing that he was holding his eye.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Did it get in your eyes?" Sakura asked concerned, but at the same time couldn't help but laugh. Sasuke nodded, but then suddenly threw confetti at her.

"Hey!" Sakura giggled as she tried to duck too late.

"Hey is right…" Sakura and Sasuke suddenly stopped when they turned at hearing a mature, female voice. Sakura grimaced when she saw it was Tsunade, the principal of Konoha High. With her arms crossed, and anger on her face she looked incredibly intimidating as she came up to them towering over them. "What are you two doing?"

"Uh…." Both of them responded at the same time and looked anywhere but at Tsunade.

"Tch! Sakura, I expected that you'd be much more responsible than this…"

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama…" Sakura sighed as she finally looked at her principal.

"Since you two have made the effort to make a mess, you're going to make the effort of cleaning it up! I don't care how long it takes." Tsunade placed her hands on her hips giving both of them a glare through squinted eyes.

"Yes, ma'am!" They responded at attention. Quickly, they went over to where the bags, dustpans, and brooms were located. They got them out and began sweeping up the confetti. Luckily for them, there were no desks in this classroom.

After watching them a bit, Sakura noticed that Tsunade left the room closing the door. When she was gone Sakura took a glance at Sasuke and grinned. Sasuke grinned back before they burst into laughter.

"Oh, we so made fools of ourselves!" Sakura giggled out as she leaned down to pick up her dustpan.

"It was well worth it," Sasuke responded after he was able to calm his laughing down.

"Heh, yes it was," Sakura smiled up at Sasuke before getting back to work.

-oO0-o)

"See you tomorrow!" Sakura shouted as she waved goodbye to Sasuke and Naruto. It had been around five when Sasuke and Sakura had finished cleaning up the confetti. For a moment, Sasuke had thought Naruto would have gone home, but to his surprise Naruto had waited for him.

Sakura twirled her hair as she watched the boys head out of the school. She stood there for a moment before she began to feel cold from standing too long. Carefully, she walked back towards the dorms and went inside into the warm air. Relief crossed her face at the warmth as she walked up the stairs toward her room.

"Sakura!" Sakura heard Ino shout and was pulled into a hug suddenly.

"Gah, Ino!" Sakura groaned out as she tried to push Ino away without success.

"I heard you got in trouble, but did so with Sasuke-kun." Ino giggled as she finally let go. Sakura glared then sighed happily at the thought.

"Oh it was amazing, Ino. I can't tell you enough how happy it made me feel being able to spend time with him."

"You really should ask him out, Sakura!"

"Oh, I couldn't hope to do that… I don't have enough confidence. Besides, he isn't interested in me in the least bit that way." Sakura sighed as she opened the door to their dorm.

"How do you know that? You haven't even asked," Ino pouted as she plopped onto her bed.

Sakura stared over at Ino for a moment giving a sad smile. "I don't need to… He might be happy to talk to me and enjoys having fun with me, but… when we talk about relationships, such as Naruto and Hinata, he seems… distant as if he isn't really interested in it for himself." She plopped down on her bed and stared at her hands before curling up.

Silence ensnared the room as Ino slowly sat down next to Sakura. She placed a hand on her back and gave a smile.

"I've been a little pushy about it, I'm sorry," Ino half-way grinned apologetically.

Sakura smiled back. "It's okay… Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to keep spending time with him, as I'll be busy next week so I won't get to see him…"

"Yeah… I'll see if I can drag him at least once to your classroom event!"

"Thanks, Ino, but spend your time with Choji, okay?"

Ino's smile faded for a moment before it was placed back on. She gave a nod then stood up. "Let's go get something to eat before the dorm cafeteria closes."

"Okay." Sakura stood up and followed after Ino, but a sad expression laced her face as she silently trailed behind.

_This time with him… it's enough. I can't ask for more. I'm truly sorry, Ino. If there's no success soon, I might just give up._

-oO0-o)

**February 14th, Thursday afternoon.**

Sakura leaned against her chair as she stared out from behind a curtain. It was her break time from her event, which was a "romantic" café setting that sold sweets from candy to jelly rolls. She was one of the maids that served out the sweets that were made from the kitchen in back.

She glanced down at her maid dress and fiddled with it. A lot of the girls wanted to make it revealing, but due to school rules that had been stopped. Instead, it was a poofy dress that trailed to about the knees. It had layered frills at the bottom while the chest/waist area had a sash tied back into a bow. More frills wrapped around the sides of the dress as well as around the center. It was sleeveless with spaghetti straps, but right above the elbows large arm sleeves were tied and flowed out and over the hands. The outfit was a mixture of several colors depending on the girl's choice, but they were all related to Valentine's Day. Sakura had picked shades of red to match her hair, which was tied up into a ponytailed to stay out of the way.

Unfortunately, the dress pushed up the breasts making them stick out. Guys stared at that more than they ordered sweets. Sakura wanted to punch every, single one of them no matter how much trouble she'd get into. Sadly, it wouldn't stop them.

_I want Sasuke to stare at me…_ Sakura silently groaned as she leaned her head against the wall. It was a dumb thought she knew she shouldn't have, but due to the fact that she didn't get to spend as much time as she wanted with him last week and not seeing him at all this week made her depressed and somewhat desperate.

"Sakura!" Sasuke's voice drifted to her ears softly. She gave a sigh starting to think that she was imaging things now. "Oye, Sakura would you look at me?" Suddenly, she was turned around and was face to face with Sasuke.

"Ah? Sasuke-kun?" Sakura blinked several times before she stood up and hugged him. "Sasuke-kun! I'm so glad to see you."

"Aha, I'm glad to see you too, Sakura," Sakura felt Sasuke lightly embrace her before gently pushing her back. "I didn't come here to just say hi. Do you have a moment to spare to spend some time with me?"

Sakura's face lit up with great happiness, but then the sounds of the café dropped it back down. "I can't… I have to keep the café running. My break's almost…"

Without warning, Sakura was pulled away from the café and into the crowded hallways. "They can deal without you!" Sasuke grinned as he gripped onto Sakura's hand softly, but also with no intention of letting go.

Sakura blushed greatly at Sasuke and looked down embarrassed. Taking that as a no argument, Sasuke lead Sakura through the hallways until they reached a door that led out of the school. Sakura frowned when she realized that this was a back exit not used for leaving the school.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura began softly as she watched him grab a coat and also her trench coat surprisingly, "where are we going?"

"I wanted you to spend some time with me, and I can't necessarily do that here. Naruto's gonna cover for us." Sasuke placed on Sakura's jacket for her before placing on his own. Quickly, he opened the door and hurried Sakura out then quickly crossed the schoolyard. Sasuke climbed up a ladder that was against the fence and reached down pulling Sakura up to him when she reached the last step. As swiftly as he could, he picked her up and jumped down to the other side before placing her on her feet.

And with that, Sasuke pulled her off into town.

-oO0-o)

Sakura blinked as Sasuke led her into a restaurant, which upon first look seemed empty, but after glancing around she noticed that there was a hallway that led to the back where the customers were at. Sasuke ordered a private seat for two and waited silently. Occasionally, he glanced back at Sakura and smile at her making her blush.

After their "escape" from school, Sasuke had taken Sakura around town to random places. It had begun to snow, but that hadn't slowed them down. They went from clothing, jewelry, game, antique, and drawing stores. Most of the time they only window shopped, but sometimes they bought something from the stores they visited.

Eventually, evening came and they were getting hungry. This is when Sasuke had brought them to this restaurant.

Sakura smiled lightly as she remembered the fun they had roaming about town. It was tons of more fun than sitting in the café, and Sakura also got to learn that Sasuke really liked art.

Finally, they had been seated in the back and given menus to order from. They took their time ordering before they were able to sit at the booth alone waiting for their meal to cook.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke with a light smile as she slowly drank on her soda. Sasuke glanced from the corner of his eye and turned to fully look at her returning the smile.

"You look quite beautiful with your hair like that, especially wearing that dress," Sasuke spoke up. Sakura blushed and shook her head. "I think so."

"You're too nice…" Sakura mumbled shyly and began to unconsciously play with the dress.

"Nice? Nah, I don't think I am. Look how much I beat on Naruto."

Sakura giggled. "Oh, Sasuke-kun you're so silly! You care so much for Naruto that there could be no way you could be mean."

"Ah… I guess," Sasuke grumbled as he looked away. "I care a lot about you too…" Sakura looked up barely hearing his last words. He wasn't looking at her anymore making her believe she had just imagined what she wanted him to say.

The rest of the evening was met by silence as they ate their meal and left the restaurant. Sakura followed after Sasuke no longer being led by the hand as they headed back towards Konoha High's dorms. She stared at the ground shuffling her feet about thinking she did something wrong. Sasuke wasn't even looking back at her anymore.

Once they got back into the school building, Sakura led the way over towards her dorm. She pulled her hood up as the snow was beginning to fall harder. She now only wanted to get out of the cold. Being as it was nighttime made the cold feel five times worse. She wished she had worn something on her legs if she knew she'd be coming back this late.

She stopped at the entrance to the dorm and turned to face Sasuke to say goodbye to him. Her heart tore at the hurt expression on Sasuke's face. Without warning, she embraced him and buried her head into his shoulder. He tensed for a second then she felt his arms wrap around her as he leaned his head against hers.

"Sorry," Sasuke began, "did I upset you?"

_He's worried if I'm upset when he's clearly hurting…_ Sakura shook her head unable to speak herself.

"Sakura… I was just thinking on the way back… It was kind of rude of me to ignore you, but…" Sasuke moved Sakura so he could look her in the face. "I've been meaning to tell you something. It involves the relationship we have right now… I don't think it's going to work out."

Sakura stared at Sasuke with an unreadable expression. Slowly, she backed away from him feeling tears well up in her eyes and before she knew it she was crying.

_I haven't even told him my feelings and he's already rejecting me!_ Sakura placed her hands into her face and began to cry more heavily.

"Ah! S-Sakura, what's wrong? I… what did I say wrong? Oh man… I hope you're not misunderstanding… I uh…" Sasuke was stuttering badly, but Sakura was only halfway listening. She couldn't comprehend exactly what he was talking about. "Sakura…" She felt arms wrap around her and pull her close. She wanted to push away, but couldn't find the will to do so.

Sasuke merely held onto Sakura until she calmed down some. She didn't want to look at him in case she bursts into tears again.

"Let me rephrase what I was trying to say," Sasuke started and made Sakura face him. She cast her eyes away afraid of his face. "When I say the relationship we have right now… I mean the relationship we have as friends."

Hesitantly, she turned her eyes to look at his. "W…What are you talking about…? Are… you saying you don't want to be my friend anymore?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying in a sense," Sasuke replied back. Sakura began to cry again, but before she could get anymore upset she suddenly felt something against her lips. She froze, eyes widening to notice that Sasuke was kissing her. Her heart began to race sporadically, and she felt her face begin to warm up. After another second, Sasuke withdrew and placed his forehead on hers. "Sorry. I… I've been wanting to do that for a long time, but been holding back. I couldn't help stop myself there. Sakura, I want to be more than just a friend to you. I want to be your lover and your best friend."

Sakura stared at Sasuke feeling dazed and dizzy. What she had tasted she hadn't tasted since the day she left Oto. She wanted it again. Without giving a reply to him with words, she leaned in and placed her lips upon his. She felt Sasuke recoil in surprise, but immediately his lips were back upon hers.

For a moment, they stayed like that. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck while she felt his arms wrap around her body. After a bit, the cold began to be felt and it had to end. Sasuke slowly pulled his lips from Sakura's giving a sweet smile at her. She smiled shyly back wishing she could keep him right where he was.

"That… was enjoyable," Sasuke said giving a small laugh before clearing his throat. "Is that your answer then?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Yes, my answer is that I want the same as you."

"Good. Then that means I can give you this picture." Sasuke pulled his arms off before slowly unlatching Sakura's as well. Sakura gave a pout, but watched as he pulled over his bag and brought out a rectangular object that was wrapped up in pink. "Going to town was the Valentine's Day gift. This here is the gift I was going to give you if you said yes."

Sakura blinked then reached out and took the gift from him. Carefully, she unwrapped it and couldn't resist smiling as she did so. When the wrapping was off she gasped and stared at a drawing in a beautiful, light pink frame.

The drawing was a lovely scene. It had light tones of color from what Sakura could identify as water color. There were pink, green, white, and blue colors mixed around with some light variations of over colors. It was of a light green, grassy hill with small flowers of yellow, purple, and blue scattered about it. At the top of the hill there was a cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom with a beautiful array of pinks as its flowers. It was lightly in a swaying motion making it seem magnificent. Against the sky were a few clouds that were beautifully done with white and grey tones. But the thing that attracted Sakura to the picture the most was the girl and boy that were painted under the cherry blossom.

It was easy to tell who they were even though there wasn't super detail into them. Both of them were sitting against the tree with their legs out in front of them.

They were in normal clothing, the boy being in a light, black, long-sleeved shirt with a white undershirt inside. He was wearing dark blue pants and had spiky black hair. In his left hand was a book he was reading, although he wasn't looking at it. Even though no eyes were drawn into the picture, making it very simple in nature, his head was pointed towards the girl to his right whom his arm was wrapped around.

The girl herself had a lovely autumn dress with white frills, and yellow tint to the color. It was long-sleeved like the boys, but at the end were large sleeves that flowed out over the hands exactly like the arms sleeves Sakura was wearing right now. She smiled when she saw how the girl's long, pink hair flowed with the wind. She was leaning against the boy's side with her head drooping somewhat down almost in an indication that she was sleeping. Her hands were in her lap with a book that was flopped open with a page blowing because of the wind.

Sakura could hardly breathe. Tears ran down her face as she looked at Sasuke and hugged him tightly. She felt his embrace back and held onto him tighter.

"T…Thank you…. I… I love it," she barely managed to say.

"That makes me very happy to hear. It was a lot of work, but I just had to get it done," Sasuke gave a light, happy sigh. Sakura shifted so she could see his face that made her heart skip several beats. "I hope I can take you somewhere like that one day."

"I…" Sakura took a deep breath and smiled, "let's find it together, then. I want to go, too."

Sasuke embraced Sakura closer and she felt his head on her shoulder. She gave a smile land placed her head on his. It reminded her of the embrace on Christmas and she began to understand that he had wanted to say this for a long while. She wished she had recognized it sooner, but knew it didn't matter now. They were together, and that's all that mattered.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

**-Computer is not doing as well as I thought, do expect delays in chapters-**

This chapter was longer than I thought it would be… Tell me what you liked and didn't like about it, so I can improve!

Anyway! Next chapter gets back to the main plot of the story.


	16. Sickness

I had a hard time finishing this only because my computer kept crashing on me.

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

_-Sakura-_

**February 15th, Friday after school.**

Ino burst through the dorm building doors dragging Sakura with her. Hinata was close behind with concern look on her face. Sakura frowned and pulled her arm away from Ino once they were in their dorm room.

_What did we do now?_ Sakura thought. She placed her schoolbag down and sat on her bed watching as Ino went into the walk-in closet. Hinata came and sat next to Sakura still looking concerned. Sakura gave a half-smile to Hinata before staring at the closet.

The moment Sakura had gotten back to her dorm yesterday night Ino had bombarded her with questions. Sakura had moaned greatly and told her she'd tell her later going to sleep that instant. Ino hadn't seemed happy about that, but trying to mess with a tired Sakura wasn't a smart move. Plus, Sakura wanted to be alone with her thoughts after what had just happened.

In the morning, though, Ino had been really quiet and hadn't spoken much to Sakura. It made her worried, but now she was just annoyed.

"Ino! Mind explaining what's going-" Sakura didn't get a chance to finish as Ino threw a long sleeved shirt and pants onto Sakura's head. Sakura pulled them off and gave a large frown. "What's this for…?"

"Just go change into it!" Ino commanded with a hint of aggression in her voice. Sakura frowned greatly then sighed inwardly.

_Whatever. I'll just play along._ Sakura mumbled out. She stood up and ducked as some similar clothes to Sakura's flew over her head probably toward Hinata.

As Sakura was changing a thought suddenly occurred to her._ What if… something between her and Choji didn't go well?_ Sakura swallowed and bit her lip. That would definitely put Ino in a bad mood.

After the three girls were dressed, with Neji notified that Hinata was staying with them, they headed out into Konoha City.

Snow slowly trickled down as the girls walked through the city. Sakura pulled her trench coat around herself better pulling up the fluffy hood. The weather hadn't let up since it began in January, although for one week and a half it was okay, but then it had actually gotten worse than before. Everyday seemed to have it snowing constantly. Sakura sighed and stared after Ino's back. She had remained silent since they left.

Hinata tugged on Sakura's arm giving a worried expression. Sakura glanced down at her and gave a reassuring smile. _I hope it's not about Choji. She would have been asleep if that was the case, but she… _Sakura sighed once more. _At this point it's starting to worry me as well._

Sakura glanced up when Ino came to a stop. She looked around to notice they were at a restaurant. Ino glanced at the girls and then entered. Sakura and Hinata stared at each other before following after. Ino grabbed Sakura's hand as they entered and began to drag her towards the back.

"Ino! I can walk on my own, thank you," Sakura mumbled as Ino tugged more. Eventually, they came to a booth and sat down. When they ordered their drinks Sakura spoke up. "So what is it? Why are you dragging me and Hinata out here?"

Sakura watched as Ino stared intently at her before her hands were grabbed and held into the air. "Sakura I…" Ino looked serious, but then a small smile came to her face and she shook her head "Are you… officially a special someone's now? Tell me what happened!"

A blank expression crossed Sakura's face before she slowly stood up, took her hands from Ino, and promptly left the table aiming to leave the restaurant.

"W-Wait, Sakura!" Ino shouted after her, and right before Sakura got to the door her arm was grabbed. Sakura turned on Ino glaring greatly at her. Ino bit her lip and looked down.

"Is that all you had to say to me, Ino Yamanaka?" Sakura shouted pulling her arm away before leaving the restaurant. Ino followed after and got in front of her.

"I, wait, please Sakura. Let me-"

"Let you what? You worry me half to death that something could be up, and even more so that you and Choji might have broken up! You don't talk to me during school, and are in a bad mood for the rest of the day. After all that, you only ask me if I'm now dating Sasuke-kun! I don't understand, Ino!" Sakura felt tears trying to release themselves, but she wiped them away trying to have her anger more than her hurt show.

Ino stared at her for a moment before lowering her eyes and staring down at the ground. Minutes ticked by as the two girls stood on the sidewalk with the snow falling gently around them. Sakura could see Hinata from inside the restaurant knowing she knew better than to come in between this.

Eventually, Sakura's anger ebbed away and only hurt was on her face. She stared at Ino who refused to move. The cold was starting to feel bitter on Sakura as she had left her jacket on the booth. Feeling awkward with this foreboding silence, Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but Ino beat her to it.

"I'm sick."

-oO0-o)

**Next Day, evening.**

Sakura stared up at the ceiling in her dorm. She was curled up on her bed with a blank expression. Her green eyes were now filled with tints of red, and her cheeks shown indication of water that had drifted down. Her mind flickered back to yesterday, but before she could think on it more she began to cry.

_Why did it have to be her?_ Sakura thought as she began to sob into her knees. For a moment, she sat there and cried again. It wasn't until she heard someone knock when she stopped crying. She wiped her eyes hoping it would be Ino, but that was impossible.

Ino told Sakura that she went to the doctors to see what kind of sickness it was. It was something the doctors had never seen and it seemed to be hurting her body slowly. They told her that they would send for an expert, but otherwise they just put her on a few medications. Ino had only wanted to spend some time with her friends in case it was the worst case scenario. Sakura didn't want to her to pretend everything was alright, but to not make Hinata worry they pretended until the day was over. After that, Ino returned home. She wasn't allowed to go back to school just in case it was contagious.

Sakura got up and went over to the door opening it. A surprise look crossed her face when she saw Hinata there.

"Hinata-chan…? Um, is there something you…" Sakura started but Hinata hugged her interrupting her.

"Sakura-chan, tell me why Ino-chan isn't coming back…" Hinata mumbled out with her voice sounding as if it would break.

Sakura swallowed hard and looked away. "She has… a sickness the doctors can't indentify."

"…It's starting, isn't it?" Hinata clung to Sakura's clothing shaking some as if she was about to cry.

"Starting…?" Sakura didn't understand what she was getting at, at first, until she remembered why this upset her so much. "Let's go to Naruto's house."

"W-Why?" Hinata asked. Sakura turned around and began to change clothing.

"That's where Kurama is. I have to ask him if this is the same sickness or if Ino just caught something bad. Regardless, perhaps he can help her," Sakura threw on her jacket, grabbed Hinata's hand, and left the dorm room running down the hallway.

Sakura and Hinata stared outside the dorm door. Snow was blowing so hard that the dorms were locked preventing anyone from coming into them or leaving.

"What the…? Didn't you just arrive?" Sakura asked turning to Hinata who nodded to her. "Then what's going on?"

"A storm just picked up," a voice from behind the counter spoke up. Sakura growled and turned to them and opened her mouth to speak. "No, you can't leave. It's too dangerous."

Sakura frowned and tapped her food thinking about what she could do. An idea struck her. "Okay, I understand. C'mon, Hinata-chan. Let's go back to my dorm." Sakura bowed the girl behind the counter before taking Hinata to the back rooms behind the stairs. Hinata followed keeping her voice quiet.

Sakura quickened her pace knowing that at any moment a dorm guard could come up and tell her to go back, but she was determined to get out. After sneaking around corners for a few moments, Sakura came up to a door that said 'Emergency Exit'.

"Won't this set off the alarm?" Hinata asked as she gripped onto Sakura's hand. Sakura gave a nod and pulled her hood up.

"Just don't let go," Sakura took a deep breath then pushed open the door quickly and hard. The fire alarm went off and Sakura raced out the door with Hinata closely behind. She charged through the snow as best as she aimed to get out of the gates. She took a brief glance behind them to see no one chasing after. She smiled then quickly got to the gates sneaking herself and Hinata through them.

As they stuck to the sidewalks trying to get to Naruto's house, the storm got even worse. Sakura could feel her toes and arms beginning to freeze up horribly. If they stayed out here any longer they were likely to get sick themselves. Sakura pulled Hinata close to hopefully keep their warmth up. It wasn't working very well. A sigh escaped Sakura's lips. She wanted to stop to find a warm place, but stopping would be worse than keep moving.

_What are we going to do?_ Sakura thought as a shiver rolled down her spine. She was feeling lost and wasn't even sure they were going to make it by the way the storm kept getting worse.

Suddenly, Hinata tripped and fell face first into the snow. Sakura gasped and grabbed a hold of Hinata's arm to pull her up, but her hands felt too numb to do so. Panic rose as she tried to lift up Hinata feeling helpless.

Then out of nowhere, someone picked up Hinata. Sakura looked up seeing Sasuke's older brother Itachi. Before she could say anything, she felt herself being picked up in a bridal style. She glanced up to see Sasuke and blushed greatly.

"What are you girls doing out in this storm?" Sasuke demanded as he held Sakura close. Sakura clung to him helplessly.

"T-Trying… t-to… get to K-Kurama…" Sakura spoke through chattering teeth. She could barely feel anything now.

"Did… something bad happen?" Sasuke asked looking very concerned. Sakura gave a nod with eyes shutting off and on. "Itachi, let's hurry back! They don't look good at all."

"Right," Itachi's voice drifted to Sakura's ears, but she barely heard it as she felt herself drifting off.

-oO0-o)

_-Naruto-_

Naruto looked down at Hinata who was in his lap. Not too long ago, Sasuke and Itachi had brought Hinata and Sakura into the house. They were unconscious and very cold. Quickly, Naruto's mother had acted and gotten them into dry clothing before curling them up in front of the heat. After they were warmed up, Naruto and Sasuke had taken them to Naruto's room where they were now currently curled up in their laps.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke who was somewhat napping with Sakura in his lap. He was tired from helping Itachi and Obito clearing out snow, if they could. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he turned to stare out his open door. His mom and Itachi were talking probably wondering how they were going to contact Sakura and Hinata's parents.

Because of the storm, the phone lines were down and cell phone service wasn't working at all. Sakura's mother might not notice as Sakura stayed in the dorms, but getting a message to the Hyuugas would be much harder.

Naruto blinked when he heard a groan and glanced to his left. Sakura moved waking up Sasuke. She slowly sat up with Sasuke putting his hands on her shoulders.

"You feeling alright, now?" Sasuke asked.

"I… where am I?" Sakura responded looking groggy as she moved her head left and right.

"You're in my house," Naruto answered making her turn her head to look towards him. "Sasuke and Itachi found you and Hinata in the snow practically unconscious."

"Oh… it wasn't a dream then," Sakura looked relieved as she placed her head against Sasuke's chest.

"You're safe now, but I need to ask," Sasuke spoke up again, "why were you two in the storm?"

"We… needed to come here to find Kurama," Sakura replied softly.

_**I am here.**_ Naruto heard Kurama respond and jump onto the bed looking at Sakura. _**What is it you need, dear child?**_

Naruto shifted so that Kurama's tails wouldn't smack him in the face, which were now up to six.

"What do… you know about the sickness that is going to spread?" Sakura swallowed hard biting her lip.

_**It is something that Humans cannot counter with their medicines. It looks as if it is attacking the insides of the body, but in reality it is stealing that person's energy. It's a slow, painful process. At first, the person will merely just feel weak for awhile, but after a week the process begins to drain their stamina and eventually they become unable to move. Shortly after that, they will go into a coma, and then… die.**_

Even before Kurama had finished talking Sakura had burst into tears. When he reached his last statement she had begun to cry even louder. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other helplessly and Sasuke could only comfort her.

Naruto looked down to see Hinata shift awake and stare at him then immediately shift her gaze over to Sakura before crawling to her to place her hand on her back.

"W-What happened?" She asked looking panicked.

"I'd like to know too," Naruto mumbled as he picked up Kurama. "What's going on, Kurama?"

_**I… am unsure, Naruto-sama. She began to cry as if…**_ Suddenly, Kurama leaped from Naruto's arms and touched Sakura's. _**Someone has fallen under this sickness, haven't they?**_

Sakura mumbled something through her sobs, but Naruto could understand. "What?" Naruto asked as he got off the bed to move to their side.

"…Ino did…"

-oO0-o)

Naruto and Sasuke paced back and forth with Kurama watching them from the bed. Sakura and Hinata had already fallen asleep, but Naruto and Sasuke were determined to figure this out.

Kurama had begun to panic because it was starting much faster than he had thought it would. If Ino had already begun with the first phase of the sickness, who knows if others had already fallen into the other phases or not. Kurama couldn't think of what to do, as he only knew something would happen if his powers returned, but they were returning too slowly!

Naruto scratched his head and gave a frustrated growl before plopping down on the floor.

"What haven't we thought of?" He asked Sasuke aloud.

"I don't know. I'm not even sure what the hell we're supposed to look for!" Sasuke leaned against the wall crossing his arms in anger.

Naruto sighed and laid back staring up at the ceiling. If they didn't figure out something soon, a lot of people were going to die.

Kurama appeared in Naruto's view blinking down at him slowly. Naruto's face softened when he could see the hurt in Kurama's eyes. Carefully, Naruto picked up Kurama and placed him in his lap. He gently rubbed Kurama's back as he began to think of all the things Kurama told them.

Suddenly, Naruto had an idea. He sat up quickly and glanced around the room before holding Kurama and hopping up. Sasuke jumped at Naruto's sudden movements before settling down.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sasuke asked as Naruto moved past him and began to look through his manga on his bookshelf.

"Something Kurama said to us earlier made me wonder about something…" Naruto answered as he pulled off many manga of his that were about the kitsune. "You know how each story that is written has some truths to it?"

"Um, sure," Sasuke answered uncertainly.

Naruto placed the books on the floor and began flipping through them, "well, I remember something from my manga that sometimes when there is a curse caused from the kitsune the characters always had to go back to the source that caused it."

"Okay… What's your point, Naruto?"

"What if, to stop this sickness and weather, we need to go the source of where it lies?"

"Ah…hmm. Well, that actually makes sense," Sasuke pondered and he sat down next to Naruto. Naruto grinned at him before looking to Kurama.

_**The source of all that is causing this…? The land stole our powers, and that would indicate we would have to go under the land…**_

Naruto frowned and sighed hanging his head, "I didn't think about that…"

"It's the only lead we've got, though, Kurama," Sasuke mumbled. Naruto nodded his head in agreement and glanced back to Kurama who stared at them with unblinking eyes. Naruto watched as Kurama slowly stood up and started to pace back and forth.

_I wonder what he's thinking?_ Naruto thought as he organized his manga on the floor while he waited for Kurama to speak.

Naruto watched as Kurama flicked his tails back and forth as he walked, and then Kurama stopped and stared over at Sakura and Hinata. For a moment, he just stood there still as a statute before moving to begin pacing again. He continued this process several more times. Naruto was beginning to feel impatient and really wished he could hear more than just Kurama's voice.

Finally, after about five minutes of pacing and silence, Kurama spoke.

_**What do you know about Konoha and Suna, Naruto-sama, Sasuke-same?**_

"Uh…" Naruto pondered for a moment then sighed. "Nothing really…"

"I don't know much either," Sasuke responded calmly. "Why is this important?"

_**Maybe we can find the source. We just need to find the place Konoha was founded on. Although, the problem with that is we would have to go to the original area Konoha was founded in.**_

_The original area Konoha was founded in?_ Naruto thought with a frown crossing his arms. "Wouldn't you know where that was since you watched over the original Konoha?"

_**Unfortunately not, the land has changed greatly as it has been over several hundreds of years.**_

"Gah! You can't be serious…" Naruto sighed greatly and mumbled under his breath. "There has to be someone who knows!"

"The mayor, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would know."

Naruto turned around and blinked up seeing Itachi in the doorway. It was pretty late in the night, so he was surprised to see Itachi awake.

"Itachi," Sasuke spoke up as he stood up as well, "what makes you think that?"

Naruto watched as Itachi came into the room shutting the door before leaning against a wall. "Sasuke, you told me that the tailed-beasts had clans that protected them in the past. Tell me who they were again."

Naruto glanced at Sasuke as he gave a blank expression that said something along the lines "where's the point in this?".

"Kurama said they were the Uzumaki, the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, the Senju, and the Sarutobi Clans…" Sasuke gave a surprised expression as he finished then hit his head with his hand. "I get where you're going with this."

"Wait, what?" Naruto asked confused about what was going on.

_**These clans!**_ Kurama spoke up making Naruto look towards him. _**Yes, I should have noticed before. I had panicked greatly forgetting this fact.**_

"That's right," Naruto turned to Itachi who nodded giving a smile, "they'll most likely know anything about the original Konoha. Probably even the other areas that the tailed-beasts once watched over."

"Wait, what about out clan, Itachi? Wouldn't they know?" Sasuke asked making Naruto frown because he still had no idea what they were talking about.

Itachi shook his head, "no, I asked Obito and he said any record of such times would be stored within the Mayor's library or been long lost…"

"That's a shame…"

"AAAGH!" Naruto shouted suddenly getting up. Everyone went silent and stared at him. A pillow flew into his head and he turned quickly around to see an angry Sakura halfway sitting up.

"Ugh, you idiot. You woke her up…" Sasuke growled punching Naruto's arm.

"No, I was already halfway awake," Sakura said as she sat up fully, "but Naruto's scream scared me."

"S-Sorry, Sakura-chan…" Naruto gulped as he slowly sat back down.

_**What is the matter, Naruto-sama?**_ Kurama asked coming up and sitting in Naruto's lap.

"I don't know what's going on…" Naruto mumbled as he rubbed his head.

"They're talking about the clans that reside in Konoha, Naruto-kun," Naruto heard the soft voice of Hinata and turned his head around. She gave a yawn before stretching and getting out of the bed. Naruto gave a smile and hugged her when she sat next to him. She gave a light giggle before hugging him back.

"I… well I sort of understood that… but I don't know what they're getting at."

"Sasuke-kun said that those original clans helped the tailed-beasts. Those clans exist now in Konoha meaning that they are the descendents of the clans of so long ago."

Naruto blinked at Hinata then gave a wide-eyed expression of understanding, "ooooh! I get it now! Then these clans would know about the past!"

"That's what we said, idiot…" Sasuke groaned. Naruto looked at him and gave a sheepish smile.

"Hinata-chan, you're part of the Hyuuga clan… wouldn't they know?" Sakura asked still on the bed.

"Well…" Hinata looked unsure and sighed.

"Wait! That book we found," Naruto nodded to Kurama whom got up and scurried to the books pulling out the one on the tales of the tailed-beasts, "Gaara and I found that in the Hyuuga library! They would know because they had this, right?"

"Not necessary, Naruto," Itachi spoke up kneeling down and taking the book from Kurama. "They might have come to pick this book up by chance, right Hinata-chan?"

Hinata gave a blush and nodded to Itachi. Naruto gave a pout and turned away that he was wrong.

"Anyway, our best bet is to see the Mayor of the city… Although, that will be extremely difficult, especially to see archives like that." Itachi gave the book back to Kurama after he had looked through it.

_**My appearance would convince them, no?**_ Kurama asked going back into Naruto's lap.

"I don't think that's wise… They wouldn't just let a couple of kids and a strange fox into the office."

_**Ah, I understand.**_

"Get rest," Itachi commanded as he began to leave the room, "we'll figure it out tomorrow, I promise."

"Okay," everyone replied at once.

-oO0-o)

The next morning, the storm had settled down enough that it was alright to walk outside. Although, it was dangerously cold that no one wanted to leave the house.

Cell phone service was up, but only enough to send texts as calling would be hard. Hinata was able to tell her family that she was safe at the Namikaze house, and would be back when she could make it through the storm safely.

Sakura, on the other hand, seemed very worried. She hadn't received any texts from Ino and was beginning to think she was already in a coma.

Naruto sighed that things weren't going too well. He went into the kitchen and blinked in surprise to see his mother looking anxious. Kushina was staring at the entryway to the door while holding an object in her hand. Naruto crept up next to her to notice it was a small box.

"Mom?" Naruto asked softly. Kushina gave a startled shake before looking back at Naruto. "Whoa, Mom, are you okay?"

"A-Ah, yes I'm fine, my Naruto," Kushina responded with a small smile.

Naruto frowned. _She rarely says my Naruto unless she's got something she's really worried about._ "Mom, what's wrong? You can tell me."

Naruto watched as his mother moved to open her mouth, but close it again as the smile on her face faded and slowly turned into a sad/hopeless expression. Naruto's eyes widened as his mother began to cry making him quickly hug her.

"I'm… so… sorry, my dear precious Naruto…" Kushina said through a sobbed voice as she placed her head on Naruto's shoulder. "I… just wanted to protect you…"

"Mom… it's okay. Whatever is bothering you, I'm grown up enough to handle it!" Naruto smiled. Kushina's head slowly lifted up and looked down at him.

"I… heh, you're right. How silly of me to think you are still a child after all that's happened," Kushina smiled lightly and wiped her eyes before taking a deep breath. Naruto looked down at her hands as she brought up the box. "Naruto, you know the necklace you wear?"

Naruto glanced down at his neck and lifted it up then nodded, "yeah, it was Grandfather's keepsake, right?"

"Well… in a way, yes," Kushina replied with her tone changing to more serious. Naruto looked up at her in surprise. "Naruto, that necklace used to belong to the Uzumaki Clan… my clan."

Naruto's eyes widened as he gaped at her then looked back down at the necklace, "Grandpa is part of the Namikaze Clan… so how did he come by it?"

"This box here once held it, but then one day it went missing and your grandfather found it as a child. When I first met him and saw that box I had thought he'd stolen it from the family, but he told me that he found it lying in a meadow of green… You know, Naruto, have you noticed that when you wear that necklace you have never had Kurama's influence take you over?"

"Yeah! I noticed… that…" Naruto stopped his sentence mid-way when he began to realize something. "Mom, you already knew about Kurama, didn't you?"

A smile crept up on Kushina's face, "yes. My clan, the Uzumaki, continued to remember about the tailed-beasts. My clan is connected to Kurama more than any of the other tailed-beasts."

_**It is true, Naruto-sama.**_ Suddenly, Kurama jumped onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto gave a light startle, but relaxed as he stared at Kurama giving a frown.

"Why didn't you guys tell me that?"

"I wanted to protect you… I was hoping you hadn't been chosen, but when you were I didn't know what to tell you…" Naruto watched as much hurt appeared on his mother's face. Then, she shook her head and looked at Kurama. "Kurama-sama, I can get you in contact with the Mayor. He will have in his possession the book that shows where the Uzumaki temple used to lie. It's been a very long time, before I was born, since its destruction."

Naruto smiled and hugged his mother greatly. He could feel the surprise from her body before he felt her arms embrace him back. "Mom, I promise I will be fine and that nothing will come to harm me. You don't have to worry anymore; I'll come back to you for sure."

Naruto felt his mother begin to shake as she began to cry again. Naruto lightly rubbed her back as he placed his head against hers.

-oO0-o)

**A few days later, February 20th, Wednesday.**

Naruto stared up at the Mayor's office with Kurama held tightly in his arms. He was here with a lot of his friends to talk with the Mayor. His mother had successfully gotten them the ability to get a chance to speak with him.

Naruto glanced back and smiled at those who had come.

Sasuke would always be with him, and so would Sakura and Hinata. Gaara was here with Shukaku, Temari, and Kankuro. They were keeping their promise to always stick with Gaara no matter what. Naruto appreciated their support and help as well. Their company along with the others gave Naruto more courage.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto turned to his mother and nodded. Kushina smiled at him taking his hand before entering the building.

Inside, it was warm and very comforting from being out in the cold. They entered into a small lounge that had couches and a few tables with magazines on them lying about. It was very cozy looking, but at the same time very business like.

Kushina led Naruto to the main desk and spoke with the receptionist there. After a moment, the receptionist led them up some stairs before down a long, winding hallway. Eventually, they arrived at a large, two double door. The receptionist left them there saying to just knock before entering.

Naruto took a deep breath and knocked on the door. An "enter" from an elderly voice sounded from within letting Naruto know he could open the door.

"Ah, Kushina, it is good to see you again," the elderly voice spoke again. Naruto looked up and across the room to where a large desk stood. Behind it in a chair was an elderly man wearing a large pointed hat. A soft smile laced his face as he slowly stood up and placed his hand out.

Kushina walked across the room and grabbed the elderly's hand. "Sarutobi-sama, it is good to see you in again as well, and also in good health."

Sarutobi gave a laugh before sitting back down, "you flatter me, Kushina." His eyes drifted over to Naruto and motioned for him and his friends to come over. Naruto obeyed and stood next to his mother with Gaara coming to his other side holding Shukaku. "Oh ho, these are the tailed-beasts? They are much smaller than I thought they would be."

"They have lost their powers, after all. Being big like they used to would mean they wouldn't need our help." Kushina replied giving Kurama a light rub to the head.

"Indeed, indeed…" Sarutobi straightened up in his chair and looked at Naruto. "Now then, son of Kushina, please tell me what you desire."

Naruto took a quick breath and bowed his head before replying, "Sarutobi-sama, I come asking if you know the location of where Konohagakure no Sato originally stood."

Sarutobi looked at Naruto thoughtfully before slowing getting to his feet and pacing the room to a bookshelf. He reached into it and pulled a book off before coming to sit back down.

"Hmm… it is actually very hard to get to that location now. Kyuubi Temple was at the center of Konohagakure no Sato, but a long time ago a dangerous storm overtook it and suddenly, it was gone. There were no traces of destruction left behind, but there was indeed destruction around it. The forest had been destroyed, and so had the land… It was as if a tornado had picked the temple off the ground and stole it away."

"Are you… suggesting some supernatural happened?" Sasuke asked coming up behind Naruto.

"Mmm, perhaps, but ah, Kurama-sama I am sure you might have a better idea," Sarutobi motioned with his hat to Kurama. Naruto gave a glance at Kurama who tilted his head flicking his tails.

_**The way you describe it… is there any record of the actual event in greater detail?**_

"Erm, I believe so…" Naruto watched as the Mayor flipped through the book on the desk scanning through it before finding the page he wanted. He turned it around and placed it at the edge of the desk. Naruto leaned in and slowly began to read it.

Naruto wasn't sure why Kurama needed to know in greater detail about what happened. From what he read, it stated that on the day of the destruction, a large storm brewed out of nowhere. It looked as if it would rain, but the only weather that produced were mass amounts of wind. Apparently, those that were passing by to visit watched as winds suddenly swarmed around the temple making it impossible to see it at all. Then, suddenly the winds came to a stop and the temple had completely vanished. Those that were inside the temple hadn't left, and the only ones that hadn't been inside were off doing their daily activities in town. Thus, the ones inside vanished along with the temple.

_**This…**_ Naruto could feel Kurama suddenly shaking. _**It sounds if my power went out of control and took the temple away.**_

"Ah, so it was your power. It quite confuses me to as why it would steal away those that worship you…"

_**Unless my powers have developed a consciousness it would not react in that manner.**_

"I have a thought," Kushina spoke up. Naruto watched as she picked up the book and pointed to a drawing of what the temple used to look like. "Kyuubi Temple was supposed to be able to harness spiritual energy. That's where the necklace you wear, Naruto, was created. That necklace was meant to suppress Kurama's power in case it ever went out of control. Unfortunately, it only seemed to be able to suppress small amounts due to it being so small… From what my great, great grandmother told to her descendents, the necklace wasn't in the temple that day."

_**Then… perhaps it is using that temple as a medium for itself? Meaning… the temple is probably underground where the power flowed into originally.**_

"We can assume so. If we just go to the temple's location, we can find some clues." Naruto watched a hopeful smile appear on his mother's face making him feel at ease.

"Unfortunately, I cannot permit you to go there," Sarutobi grumbled. Naruto turned to him then frowned and slammed his hands onto the desk.

"And why not? This could solve all the problems with the storm and end the sickness that is running around!" Naruto shouted at the Mayor seeming to get a bit angry.

"Sickness?" Sarutobi seemed surprised by Naruto's accusation.

"Y-Yes…" Naruto heard Sakura speak up from behind. "My friend is getting very sick, and Kurama says it's something that's supposed to happen if a tailed-beasts' power goes out of control… She may not be the only one." Naruto gripped his hands hearing the pain in Sakura's voice as she spoke upon Ino's condition.

"Mmm… even so, I cannot send you young ones out into this dangerous weather to try and stop it. I will find someone who can help, and that means Kurama, Shukaku I'd like you to stay here with me."

Naruto gripped his hands tightly, "why are you taking them? They need us!"

"No, child, you are a citizen of my city. It is best you do not get mixed up in all of this."

"Too bad! We already are mixed up in all of this and if it wasn't for us these tailed-beasts would be dead now!" Naruto swung his hand out in a sweeping motion with anger on his face.

"Naruto!" He heard his mother shout then grab his hand. "Naruto, please, control yourself…"

"He doesn't get it, Mom," Naruto growled turning to her, "Kurama and Shukaku need me and Gaara! Without us, the tailed-beasts can't do anything on their own at this moment."

Sarutobi placed up a hand indicating to Naruto to quit speaking. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it.

"Please, calm yourself. I am not trying to steal your friends from you, nor am I asking that you do anything without them…" The Mayor bowed his head then looked back at Naruto. "I do not want to lose such young ones because of this power. Facing a storm is much different than taking on a power of a tailed-beast, especially Kurama-sama's power as it could be the most powerful. Do you understand? I only wish to protect you."

Naruto slowly unclenched his hands giving an inward sigh. He knew he wouldn't win this argument, but he didn't want to give up. "I know, but… I don't want to give Kurama up yet… Can you wait a day?"

"Naruto, are you serious?" Gaara finally spoke up after being quiet this entire time.

"I don't like it. I never will, but what other choice do we have?" Naruto refused to look at Gaara in hopes what he had in mind wouldn't be given away in his eyes. He wanted to formulate a plan to be able to keep Kurama and Shukaku.

"That sounds reasonable. It will give me time to find someone to counter this." Sarutobi slowly stood up and came to the side of the children. "Do not worry, I will take care of them and return you them once this is over."

Naruto frowned, but gave a bow anyway to be respectful.

"Then we will be back tomorrow, Sarutobi-sama," Kushina said as she placed a hand on Naruto's back.

"Good, good. Be at peace, child. I do not mean you harm."

"I understand…" Naruto mumbled as he walked out of the office. Once out he grabbed Gaara's hand and ran down the hallway ignoring the shouts from his mother. He heard other footsteps behind him knowing it was his friends, but he needed to get out of there to cool his head.

-oO0-o)

After running for a bit and finally coming to a stop, Naruto took a deep breath to get his breath back. Gaara was next to him looking exhausted before he stood up.

"Naruto… isn't there anything we can do?" Gaara asked holding Shukaku against his chest. Naruto mumbled as he stared at Gaara before looking down at Kurama. Kurama merely blinked at him. He hadn't spoken a word after knowing what his power was doing.

"I… don't know… I ran out here in order to make a plan so that Kurama and Shukaku wouldn't get taken away, but…" Naruto bit his lip closing his eyes feeling as if he was going to cry.

"This… is Ino's home," Naruto blinked his eyes open at the sound of Sakura's voice and turned around to see her with Sasuke, Hinata, Temari, and Kankuro. Naruto then turned to look in the direction Sakura was facing.

"Let's go inside and see her," Sasuke suggested. Naruto nodded in agreement glancing to Sakura who looked unsure. "If you haven't gotten any messages by now, something must have happened. C'mon." Sasuke placed out his hand for Sakura whom gladly took it.

Naruto gave a light smile and reached over grabbing Hinata's feeling left out. Hinata looked to Naruto and gave a smile.

"Ino! You have guests, can they enter?" Ino's father shouted as he knocked on a door. Naruto peeked around Sasuke and Sakura who were in the lead anxious to know Ino's condition.

A light and weak sounding 'yes' reply came from within letting Ino's father know to open the door. He nodded to the children before walking away. Naruto watched as Sakura took a deep breath before entering.

"S…Sakura, is that you?" Naruto bit his lip hard hearing Ino's voice. It sounded even worse up close. As Naruto entered after Sasuke and Sakura, he realized she looked worse than she sounded.

Ino was very pale and her face looked exhausted. Her eyes had black around them while her body looked incredibly frail. She had a blanket wrapped around her as she slowly sat up to take Sakura's hands when Sakura sat on the bed. Her hair was down and looked very messy and uncared for as if she hadn't been able to take care of it at all.

Naruto felt Kurama tense greatly in his arms. He could see Ino's pain and didn't like it one bit.

"Ino… why haven't you texted me to come see you sooner?" Sakura asked looking pained.

Ino gave a cough turning her head away before wiping her mouth, "sorry… I didn't want you to see me like this. Ah, everyone came to see me… That makes me really happy." Ino smiled greatly, but Naruto could tell it was strained.

"Does Choji know you're like this?" Sakura questioned.

"No, I don't want to bother him. He's got enough to worry about at the moment…"

"Stupid girl… you should tell him anyway!"

"I know, I know… I'm sorry… I just…"

The voices began to disappear as Naruto left the room. He had seen enough and knew his answer. He came into the kitchen and sat down into a chair as he pondered on exactly he'd be able to get a map.

"Ah, hard to see… isn't it?" Naruto blinked up seeing Ino's dad sit next to him. "Inoichi, what about you?" He asked placing his hand out for Naruto to take.

"Naruto Namikaze," Naruto responded taking the man's hand and giving it a shake. "Yeah… I can't stomach it knowing what will happen."

"You know what illness she has?" Inoichi looked hopeful.

Naruto gave a nod, "I know how to counteract it, too, but the Mayor won't let me go. He wants to wait to send someone more capable, but… she's in the second phase of this illness. She doesn't have much longer yet. I… can't stand to watch a friend of mine suffer when I know I can do something." Naruto felt tears streaming down his face as he bit his lip clenching his fists. Kurama rubbed against his head for comfort easing some of his pain.

"What must be done?" Inoichi inquired. Naruto looked up at Inoichi blinking.

"You see this fox on my shoulder? His name is Kurama and he's one of the great tailed-beasts that took care of this land a long time ago. At one point, their powers were taken from them by the land, and after hundreds of years their powers decided to start going out of control. That's why we have all this bad weather, and also why your daughter is sick. The only way to stop it is to go back to the source, and that's in the original place Konohagakure no Sato was founded in. It's where Kyuubi Temple used to be… If we can give Kurama back his powers, he can reverse everything and make your daughter better."

"I… I see…" Inoichi looked as if he was having a hard time grasping this at first, but when a burst of loud coughing came from Ino's room he composed himself. "What issue are you having?"

"The Mayor thinks it's too dangerous for us, so he won't permit us to see where the temple was located in order to go."

"Kyuubi Temple? Hmm, hold on then," Inoichi stood up and walked away into another room. Naruto cast a glance at Kurama with a confused look. Kurama shook his head not understanding either. After a moment, Inoichi was back dropping a very large book on the table. Naruto jumped slightly at the sudden impact, but settled down and watched as Inoichi shifted through the book.

"Ah, here we go," Inoichi turned the book around to Naruto so he could see then came to his side and pointed. "This is detailed information of how to get to Kyuubi Temple in the past. Read it over as I get a map of the then and now to compare how the land has changed."

Full of sudden hope, Naruto immediately dived in to read the information.

-oO0-o)

An hour or so later, Inoichi, Kurama, and Naruto had successfully found the way to where Kyuubi Temple was located.

"Inoichi-san, thank you so much for this! How did you come with all this information anyway?" Naruto asked as he folded the information he had to place in his pocket.

"My main job is finding, interrogate, and store research. I have all the copies here that the Mayor has within his office."

"Isn't that a little illegal?" Naruto asked with a grin. Inoichi blinked at him then gave a laugh patting his head.

"Not unless I have permission."

Naruto laughed as well and also heard Kurama squeaking his laugh.

"What is so funny, Naruto?" Naruto turned around hearing Gaara's voice.

Naruto smiled, "just Inoichi, but that's beside the point," he held up several pieces of paper that were now folded. "See these? These will get us to Kyuubi Temple. Round everyone up; as soon as we're weather prepared for a long journey, we're leaving."

-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-oO0-o)0(o-0Oo-

Story was much longer than I had anticipated it to be. Hope you enjoyed it!

Questions, comments? Don't be afraid to ask or tell me!


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